Yin and Yang
by angelaxoxo
Summary: Despite being able to see ghosts, Ichigo Kurosaki has lived a generally normal life. That all changes when he meets the Soul Reapers, Rukia and Renji.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Oi, Ichigo!" A tall, orange haired teenager turned around at the sound of his name. The voice belonged to his friend, Tatsuki. Tatsuki tackled into him. "Wanna go get something to eat after school?" Tatsuki gave him a sly grin. "Orihime will be there." Ichigo rolled his eyes at that last comment. For some reason, Tatsuki was obsessed with the idea of him and her best friend, Orihime, being an item. Ichigo didn't think he would ever understand why. It wasn't like Orihime had a blatant crush on him or anything.

"Sorry, Tatsuki," Ichigo said, "I have plans already." When Tatsuki gave him a skeptical look, Ichigo quickly added, "I'm visiting my mother's grave." His mother had recently died of unknown causes. Ichigo visited her grave often, but today he wasn't planning on visiting her grave. Ichigo was different from most teenagers. It wasn't just his oddly colored hair, Ichigo had the ability to see and communicate with ghosts. When most people think of ghosts, they think of scary spirits whose goals were to haunt people. The ghosts Ichigo met, on the other hand, were spirits of cute children who just ran around all day. Ichigo befriended some of the ghosts and today, Ichigo intended to visit one of them.

"Oh. O.K." Tatsuki looked disappointed. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow Ichigo!" She ran off just as the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.

* * *

Ichigo walked up to the streetlight where his ghost friend, Sei, died. He expected to see Sei happily waiting for him. Instead, he saw a group of delinquents spray painting profanity all over the place. Sei stood in the middle of them, with tears forming in his eyes. Ichigo felt anger rise up in him. "Hey, stop what you're doing! It's against the law to vandalize."

"Who the hell friggin' cares?" One of the delinquents sneered.

"I do, and so do a lot of people."

"Shut up faggot! Or else we'll make you!"

At that moment, all of the guys charged at Ichigo. Unfortunately for them, Ichigo's dad taught Ichigo how to fight properly. He beat all of them up in less than a minute. As the gang ran away, Ichigo turned to Sei. "Are you OK, Sei?"

Sei beamed. "Arigato, Ichigo. Now let's clean this place up." Their time together was pretty quiet for the most part. Sei wasn't the one to talk much. Ichigo had almost forgotten Sei was there until he said, "You know, Ichigo, I sense something dark walking around at night."

"Oh? Do you know what it is?"

"No. I mean, it's some sort of spirit, but nothing like I've seen before. It seems… evil. Be careful, Ichigo."

Ichigo nodded. He intended on finding what was scaring Sei. Whatever it was, it had to be bad news.

* * *

That night, Ichigo snuck out of his house. Karakura Town seemed peaceful. The streetlights were lit, everyone was sleeping, and nothing threatening could be seen. For a moment, Ichigo wondered whether there really was an evil spirit. Pushing his doubts away, Ichigo walked around. He stopped at an alley. Ichigo sensed a supernatural presence. No doubt, there was something hidden in that alley. Slowly, he walked through it. A small breeze rolled by and it felt… ominous. A metal object, probably a trash can, fell down. Suddenly, Ichigo heard voices.

"Why the HELL is this human still here? Aren't humans afraid of shit like this?"

"Shut up, Renji! This human's amount of spiritual pressure is surprisingly high. He may hear us."

"I know! That's why I'm trying to scare him off, but he won't budge! Should I just knock him out?"

"No you should NOT! Humans are weak creatures. You might kill him!"

"Or I could just beat the crap out of you two!" Ichigo snapped. No one said anything. Instead, one of them stepped out of the shadows. It was a girl around his age. She was very short, not even 5 feet tall, but she was very pretty. She wore a black kimono, had shiny black hair and intelligent, violet eyes that mesmerized Ichigo. Her companion stepped out as well. He had long red hair tied back in a ponytail that resembled a pineapple and black tattoos on his face. He also wore a kimono. Pineapple's eyes shot daggers at him. "Don't underestimate us, human, YOU will be the one getting the crap beaten out if you don't shut up!"

"Why do you keep calling me 'human'? You two are humans, too!"

"You can see us." It was the girl who spoke. Ichigo looked down at her. She looked surprised. "Of course I can see you," Ichigo retorted, "I'm not blind!"

"Silence, human! You shouldn't be able to even know we're here!"

"And why is that?"

"Because we aren't human." Ichigo did not know what to say to that. _Not human? What the hell is she saying?_ The girl continued. "We are Soul Reapers. Our job is to pass judgment onto spirits. If they are good, we will perform konso on them and they will be sent to our home, the Soul Society. However, if they are evil spirits, called Hollows, they are to be destroyed." The girl took out a sword. "There are a few Hollows in this area. Usually, I can take them down by myself, but these Hollows are surprisingly strong. That's why I have Renji with me."

_I mean, it's some sort of spirit, but nothing like I've seen before. It seems… evil. _Sei's words rang through Ichigo's head. _Sei wasn't kidding. There actually are evil spirits in Karakura. _"Is there anything I could do to help?" Ichigo asked.

The pineapple, Renji, laughed. "Just because you can see us doesn't mean you have the power to take down a Hollow!" He took out his own sword. It was so big, Ichigo wondered how he hadn't noticed it before.

Something howled in the distance.

Renji smirked. "Looks like we found our first Hollow. Let's go, Rukia!" The two Soul Reapers disappeared.

_Rukia._ Ichigo barely knew her, yet somehow her name fit her perfectly. He shook the thought away. Against his better judgment, Ichigo ran out of the alley and followed the sound of the howling.

* * *

"Juhaku!" Rukia stabbed the ground with her zanpakuto. A trail of ice stretched out to the base of the Hollow and began to freeze its entire body. The Hollow cried in rage and broke free of the ice.

"Howl, Zabimaru!" Renji's zanpakuto extended and Renji whipped the Hollow. The Hollow knocked the zanpakuto away and lashed out at Renji. Renji leaped back, but not before getting his chest grazed by the Hollow's claws. Renji gasped and blood spewed out of the wound.

"Renji!" Rukia called out. Renji gave his friend thumbs up to indicate that he was all right. Rukia turned back to the Hollow and dodged an attack from it. _Why isn't this Hollow weak like the others?_ Rukia wondered. Rukia held her zanpakuto upside-down. "Some no mai, Tsukishiro!" The blade glowed and Rukia slashed at her target. She drew a circle with her zanpakuto and attempted to freeze the Hollow again. The Hollow dodged her attack, but shrieked in pain when Renji whipped it again with his zanpakuto. The Hollow spat fire at them. Since when were Hollows able to do that? Rukia jumped out of harm's way. Before Rukia could launch another attack, a familiar voice shouted, "THAT'S what a Hollow looks like?" Rukia whirled around and was shocked to see the human boy standing right in front of her. Anger swelled up in her. "Baka! What were you thinking? You are defenseless against this Hollow, ANY Hollow! Go home before you get yourself seriously hurt or even killed!"

The boy opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off by Renji's voice, "WATCH OUT!" The Hollow lashed out at the boy. Without thinking, Rukia jumped in front of the boy. She coughed out blood as the Hollow's arm impaled her.

"RUKIA!" Both Renji and the boy cried.

_How does he know my name?_ Rukia had evidently forgotten that Renji had said her name in front of him. Her vision blurred. Rukia could make out Renji's body. He was still fighting the Hollow.

A flash of orange appeared in front of her. Rukia felt arms lift her up a little. "Rukia, are you OK? Say something! Shit… this is all my fault. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" It was the boy.

Rukia coughed. "What is your name?" She coughed up more blood.

The boy ripped his sleeve and wrapped it around her wound. "Kurosaki, Ichigo. Look, I know saying sorry isn't good enough of an apology, but again I'm really sorry for getting you hurt. Why did you jump in front of me anyway?" Rukia didn't answer his question. Instead, a crazy idea popped in her head. She was in no condition to help Renji. This human, Ichigo, had the power to see them, to see Hollows. Maybe if she gave him some of her powers, Ichigo could become a Soul Reaper and help Renji. Rukia knew it was against the law, but what other choice did she have? Leave Renji alone to fight the Hollow and Ichigo powerless against them? The Hollow attacked Ichigo because of the spiritual pressure he possessed. Ichigo NEEDED powers. "Ichigo," Rukia said, "I can't let Renji fight the Hollow by himself. How would you like to become a Soul Reaper?" Ichigo's eyes widened. "What the—how could I become a Soul Reaper?"

"I can transfer some of my powers to you."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? Just because I get some powers doesn't mean I can fight this Hollow whatchamacallit."

"I… have faith in you. If you can't, then I don't know who can. Renji will never admit it, but he needs help fighting this Hollow." As if to prove her point, the Hollow bitch slapped Renji and sent him crashing into a tree. "This town needs someone to protect it. Will you accept my powers?"

Ichigo thought about it for a moment. He wasn't sure if he wanted to become a Soul Reaper, but Rukia had a point. Karakura needed someone to protect it. Clearly, Renji couldn't do it by himself. "OK. I'll become a Soul Reaper," He said.

Rukia smiled. Even with all the blood, she looked pretty. Rukia lifted up her zanpakuto. _Kami, I hope I don't regret this. _"Kurosaki, Ichigo, do you vow to risk your life to carry out your duties as a Soul Reaper?"

"Yes, I do." Rukia took a deep breath and stabbed Ichigo with her zanpakuto. She closed her eyes and split half of her powers with Ichigo. When she opened them, Ichigo was wearing a black kimono and held a zanpakuto of his own. Rukia nearly gasped. Ichigo's spiritual pressure increased drastically. In fact, it matched the pressure of a Soul Reaper captain. Once she got over her shock, Rukia's eyes lit up. "You're a Soul Reaper, Ichigo. Now go whip that Hollow's ass up!"

Ichigo grinned and jumped into battle.

* * *

Ichigo never felt so powerful. There was this sensation in him that he never felt before. It was exhilarating. Despite never having wielded a sword before, Ichigo was able to maneuver it around with ease. Ichigo slashed at the Hollow. It roared and spat fire at him, but Ichigo dodged it. Renji, the other Soul Reaper had stopped fighting. He was staring at him with a dumb look on his face. For some reason, Renji's expression satisfied Ichigo.

"Ichigo, in order to destroy it, you must cut through its head!" Rukia shouted. Ichigo was impressed with her. She was badly injured, yet Rukia was still able to speak clearly. She was a tough cookie. The Hollow roared again, and this time it charged at Renji. Quickly, Ichigo jumped on top of it and brought his sword down through its head.

The Hollow shrieked and disintegrated.

"Well done, Ichigo!" Rukia cheered.

Renji glared at Ichigo. "You didn't have to save me just now," he snapped, "I could've easily dodged that."

Ichigo stared at Renji. Renji's kimono was torn and blood was trickling out of his chest and arms. He was leaning on one leg, indicating that the other one was wounded. There was a red mark on his cheek where the Hollow smacked him.

"I'm sure you could have," Ichigo replied.

Renji bristled and glanced at Rukia. "Why the hell did you give this guy powers?"

"It looked like you needed help!"

"I'm a lieutenant, Rukia! I don't need help to kill a Hollow!"

"Tell that to your face!"

That shut Renji up.

Ichigo turned to Rukia. "Are you gonna be alright?"

Rukia nodded. "Soul Reapers recover much quicker than humans." All of a sudden, she grabbed Ichigo and thrust it into a body, a body that looked just like him. Ichigo was no longer wearing a kimono now, but the shirt and pants he was wearing before. Rukia laughed when she saw the confused look on his face. "Soul Reapers are spirits," she explained, "You won't be in your real body when you're in battle."

"What about you and Renji? Do you guys have bodies? Or are you spirits?"

"We are spirits. That's why we were surprised that you could see us."

"Who exactly are you?" Renji asked. Ichigo turned to him.

"My name is Kurosaki, Ichigo."

"We never properly introduced ourselves, Kurosaki, Ichigo. I'm Abarai, Renji." He lifted Rukia up bridal style. "This is Kuchiki, Rukia."

"I can introduce myself, ya know!" Renji smiled at her. It was just a friendly smile, but Ichigo noticed something flicker in Renji's eyes when he looked at her. "We have to go now." Rukia's voice broke Ichigo's train of thought. "Sayonara, Ichigo."

The two Soul Reapers disappeared and Ichigo wondered if he would ever see them again.

* * *

There was a cave far, far away from Karakura. If one stood in front of the cave, they would see a giant, gaping hole in the rock. The entrance of the cave resembled a mouth, prepared to swallow up anything, or anyone, who dared to walk through it. Inside the cave, there were stalactites hanging everywhere, water dripping from them like poison dripping off a rattlesnake's fangs. The cave emitted such a menacing atmosphere that it was avoided by everyone… with the exception of one person. This person sat deep in the cave with a shining crystal ball in his hands. He watched as an orange haired human became a Soul Reaper and easily take down the Hollow he created. He snickered. "So, this human thinks he can just waltz in and thwart my plans?" He threw his crystal ball down. Fortunately, it was indestructible. "NO! I WILL NOT LET THIS MERE HUMAN STOP ME FROM TAKING OVER THE HUMAN AND SOUL REAPER WORLD! HE THINKS THAT WAS THE END OF THE BATTLE? NO! THE BATTLE'S JUST GETTING STARTED!"

**Review please! This is my first fan fiction and I would like to know how I can improve it. Thank you! xoxo**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ichigo woke up the next day wondering if last night's events were just a dream. He didn't remember falling asleep, and the thought of Soul Reapers existing was absurd. Ichigo got out of bed and dressed himself. If becoming a Soul Reaper was just a dream, then Ichigo's life would continue normally. He smiled. It had been fun defeating the Hollow, but Ichigo decided he preferred life of a normal person. He walked to the kitchen and a foot popped out of nowhere. "ICHIGO!" Instinctively, Ichigo blocked his father's foot from kicking him. His father, Isshin Kurosaki, gave him a stern look. "You overslept. There's no time for breakfast, you have to go to school NOW! Yuzu left your lunch on the kitchen table." Ever since their mother died, Yuzu, Ichigo's youngest sister, took the responsibility of doing the housework and cooking the meals.

Ichigo grabbed his bento and ran to school. He walked into class just as the bell rang. "Oi, Ichigo!" One of Ichigo's friends, Keigo Asano, waved at him. "I heard there are new students coming into this class." Keigo licked his lips. "Do you think one of them will be a girl with boobs just as big as Inoue's?" Ichigo rolled his eyes. Keigo loved women.

"Even if this girl was the ugliest girl in the world, I don't think she'd get with you," Ichigo teased.

"OK students, enough socializing. School has officially started. Now, today we have two new students. Would you two like to introduce yourselves?"

Ichigo turned around. At the front of the classroom was a guy with long, pineapple shaped red hair and black tattoos. Next to him, was a short girl with black hair and violet eyes.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, my name is Kuchiki, Rukia," the girl said.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, I am Abarai, Renji," the guy said.

_Oh shit._ Ichigo thought. _Last night wasn't a dream, it was reality… and what the hell are they DOING here?_ Ichigo froze when Rukia and Renji took a seat on both sides of him. Ichigo glanced at Rukia. She was paying close attention to the lesson and barely took notice of Ichigo. Ichigo calmed down a bit. _Maybe last night was just a dream that predicted that there were gonna be new students._ Until lunch, Ichigo clung to the belief that the rest of his life would be normal. He was so wrong.

* * *

"Ichigo, guess what? Tatsuki invited us to sit with her. That means I get to eat lunch with Inoue!" Keigo was practically dancing with joy. He had a crush on Orihime Inoue's large breasts.

"Just because you're eating lunch with her doesn't mean you get to touch her," another one of Ichigo's friends, Mizuiro Kojima, pointed out.

"Hey you never know! Maybe today I WILL succeed! If not, then I could always go for that new girl. She's flat chested but soooo pretty!" For some reason, Keigo's words bothered Ichigo. Ichigo couldn't explain it, but he felt… drawn to her. Maybe it was because of his crazy dream, or maybe it was her pretty, violet eyes that showed a certain strength and intelligence Ichigo had never seen before. Ichigo suspected the first one.

"The girls are over there," Yasutora "Chad" Sado said, pointing to where Tatsuki and her friends sat. As the boys walked there, Tatsuki's friend, Chizuru, lifted up a milkshake. Chizuru grinned. "It worked! My milkshake brought all the boys here!" She turned to Orihime and gave her a creepy look. "Of course, you're the only one I want, I just wanted to see if milkshakes could actually attract guys." Orihime touched the blue flower pin in her hair and gave Chizuru a nervous smile which became more genuine when she saw Ichigo. "Oh, hello Kurosaki-kun! Wh-what do you have for lunch?"

"Um, a bento." Ichigo blinked when Orihime blushed. She always acted weird around him for some reason.

"Hey, Ichigo, we need to talk."

Ichigo turned around. It was Rukia and Renji. How did they know his name? "I have to go now, see you guys later!" Ichigo waved at his friends and followed Rukia and Renji.

Once they were alone, Ichigo shouted, "HOW DO YOU TWO KNOW MY NAME? WE NEVER TALKED TO EACH OTHER BEFORE!"

"BAKA! DO YOU HAVE ALZHEIMERS OR SOMETHING? WE JUST MET LAST NIGHT!" Renji shouted back.

Ichigo nearly choked on his own spit. "Last night… wasn't a dream?"

Rukia gave him a weird look. "Of course not! What, did you think it was?"

"A dream!" A million questions swam through Ichigo's head. "So basically, I actually did become a Soul Reaper? I actually fought that Hollow? How is everyone able to see you two? You said we weren't supposed to! How did you recover from your wounds so fast? Where the hell are you guys staying? WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?!"

"Yes, you did," Rukia answered. "And the reason why people can see us is because Renji and I are using gigais. A gigai is a body Soul Reapers use when they have to stay in the human world. That's also why we are no longer wounded. The only reason why we're here is because I have to restore the powers I gave away. As for where we're staying… it's no concern of yours."

"OK, but why are you in my school?"

"To keep an eye on you. There are still Hollows lurking around in the human world. Now that you are a Soul Reaper, you must learn how to properly use your zanpakuto and protect this town." Rukia's lips curled up into a smile. "You haven't seen the last of us yet, Ichigo."

* * *

After he finished his homework, Ichigo lay on his bed, pondering what Rukia said. _You haven't seen the last of us yet._ Ichigo wasn't so sure how he felt. A part of him was glad that he could see Rukia again and fight Hollows. However, Rukia and Renji's existence meant that Ichigo couldn't live the peaceful life he was looking forward to. He closed his eyes. Maybe if Ichigo took a nap, he could figure out his feelings about the whole Soul Reaper thing. A sudden beeping noise disturbed Ichigo's nap. _Where is that noise coming from? _He glanced at his closet.

"Ichigo! There's a Hollow nearby!" Rukia and Renji jumped out of his closet. Renji was already dressed in his kimono.

Ichigo jumped out of his bed. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU TWO DOING IN MY CLOSET?" A dirty thought popped in Ichigo's mind. He forced the thought out of his head.

"Where did you think we were staying?" Rukia showed Ichigo a GPS like device that was beeping nonstop. "There's a Hollow nearby, Ichigo. We have to go now!" Before Ichigo could tell her that she and Renji were not allowed to live in his closet, Rukia jumped onto Renji's back. Ichigo watched as Renji jumped out the window and ran after him.

"So, where's the Hollow?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia pointed to a house. "It's around there." Ichigo squinted. There was something familiar about that house. Realization hit Ichigo like a bag of rocks. It was Chad's house. "Chad! Why is there a Hollow at Chad's house?"

"Your friend is like you, Ichigo," Rukia explained, "I sensed that he had more spiritual pressure than the average human. The Hollow must be after him to absorb that pressure."

"Does that mean Chad can also see ghosts?"

"I don't think so. His spiritual pressure isn't as strong as yours, but I believe he can sense the presence of Hollows."

When they arrived at Chad's house, Ichigo saw a Hollow similar to the one he battled yesterday, swiping at Chad. Chad punched around and actually hit the Hollow several times. Chad was incredibly strong so Ichigo wondered how much pain the Hollow was in. "Chad!" Ichigo called out.

Chad turned around. "Ichigo… you might not believe me but there's something dark around here. You have to go!"

"I'll be fine. What you need to do is go back into your house. I'll handle this."

Rukia grabbed Ichigo's head. He felt lighter all of a sudden. Ichigo looked down. He was wearing the black kimono and his zanpakuto was tied to his waist. Out of the corner of his eye, Ichigo saw his body fall to the ground. Chad looked baffled. "Don't worry, he's not dead," Rukia assured him.

The Hollow roared and charged at them. Ichigo unsheathed his zanpakuto and slashed at the Hollow. The Hollow retaliated with a swipe. An intense pain hit Ichigo when its claws raked his torso. "Howl, Zabimaru!" Renji's zanpakuto extended and he whipped the Hollow. The Hollow snatched the whip like zanpakuto and threw it. Unfortunately for Renji, he was still holding onto it and was thrown down the street. The Hollow turned to Ichigo and charged. Ichigo leaped up and brought his sword down, killing the Hollow. _These Hollows are so easy to take down. I don't understand why Rukia and Renji are having so much trouble dealing with them. _

"Ichigo, behind you!" Rukia shouted. Ichigo whirled around. Another Hollow was standing there. This Hollow looked more menacing than the other one. The Hollow lunged at Ichigo. Ichigo prepared himself to attack, but a sudden pain on his chest stopped him. The Hollow slammed into Ichigo and sent him flying. Ichigo gasped in pain when his back hit the concrete. He looked down at his chest. A sickly green thing was bubbling out of the cut. Ichigo didn't know what it was, but it made his body feel like it was on fire. _Is it poison?_ The Hollow roared. Ichigo looked up. Renji cut the Hollow through its head and it disintegrated. "Ichigo, are you all right?" Rukia ran up to him and examined his wounds. "I don't think it's too serious. Urahara-san should have an antidote."

"Urahara…? You don't mean the guy that owns the Urahara shop?"

Rukia nodded. "Urahara was exiled from our home, Seireitei, years ago. He sells Soul Reaper items to Soul Reapers on a mission in the Human World. He and his employees all have spiritual powers."

"What's going on?" It was Chad. He held up Ichigo's limp body.

Rukia hesitated. "Maybe we should just let Urahara explain everything to you." She turned to Renji. "Renji, bring the girl to Urahara as well. She needs to know." Renji nodded and ran away.

"She? Who's 'she'?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia smirked. "Let's go, Ichigo, Chad!"

* * *

The Urahara shop didn't stand out too much in Karakura. It wasn't too big or too small. The shop sold items typically found in convenience stores. The owner of the shop, Kisuke Urahara, seemed like the average guy. Despite being told that Urahara used to live in Seireitei, Ichigo was still surprised to see Soul Reaper merchandise everywhere.

"Fortunately, this wound isn't too serious." Kisuke Urahara said as he applied an antidote onto Ichigo's wound. Ichigo felt a rush of cold shoot through him as the antidote took its affect. Urahara turned to Rukia. "Is this the human you told me about, Rukia?" Rukia nodded. She made a gesture to Chad. "Urahara, there are a couple of more humans like Ichigo. Renji is bringing in the other one." Ichigo wondered who the other one was. Ichigo heard the door to the Urahara shop open.

"A-Abarai-san, what are we doing here?" The familiar voice nearly made Ichigo jump up.

"Oi, Rukia!" Ichigo exclaimed. "Why did Renji bring Inoue here? There's no way she can also sense Hollows!"

Rukia smirked. "Isn't it funny how wrong a person can be?"

"I am 100% sure that Inoue isn't like me. I actually still can't believe Chad can sense Hollows!"

"Why so surprised? What, do you think you're special or something?"

"I wouldn't say special… I just thought I was different from everyone else."

"In other words, you think you're special."

"Why you little…"

"Kurosaki-kun! Sado-kun!" Orihime had a look of terror on her face as Renji shoved her into the room. "What's going on?" Urahara chuckled. A black cat appeared behind him. Urahara pet the cat affectionately. "Yoruichi and I need to explain something to you and your silent friend. Yoruichi, I think it's time to be in your true form." The cat nodded and _POOF _a woman stood in its place. The woman was pretty. She had purple hair, golden eyes, and chocolate skin. She was also naked.

Ichigo and Renji blushed. "P-put on some clothes please!" Ichigo exclaimed and used his hand to cover his eyes. Even though Ichigo was nervous seeing a woman naked, he made a tiny gap between his fingers to see her.

The woman laughed. "This must be your first time seeing a woman naked." She stretched her arms. "Oh my GOD, I haven't been in this form for years! I completely forgot that I have to wear clothes!" She walked away. Urahara, Chad, and Orihime also walked into another room.

Rukia smacked his head. "I know you were peeking through your fingers, hentai!

"I wasn't peeking!"

"Yes, you were."

"No, I wasn't."

"Stop lying! You were peeking!"

"Even if I was peeking, and I wasn't, why would you care so much?"

"I hate it when guys pretend to be respectful and polite like that!" Rukia looked at Renji. "That doesn't make you any better, Renji! You should have looked away."

Renji flushed. "It's not my fault that guys have hormones!"

"Girls have hormones, too, but I don't see the appeal of naked men!"

"Have you ever even seen a naked man before?" Ichigo countered.

"Well, no but I don't intend to until I'm married."

"Well I'm sure if you do end up seeing a naked guy before marriage, you would be like Renji and I!"

"I can safely say I'm not a pervert."

"WHY ARE YOU TWO EVEN HAVING THIS CONVERSATION?!"

Ichigo turned around. A red haired kid stood there with fists balling at his side. Standing next to him was a girl who looked uncomfortable. Ichigo didn't know their names, but he knew that they worked for Urahara. The red haired kid continued, "That was the stupidest argument I have ever heard. Shut UP!" Ichigo sighed. The kid had a point. "Look, Rukia I'm sorry?"

"I'm sorry, too?"

At that moment, the cat woman, now dressed in an orange shirt and black leggings, walked in with Urahara. Urahara was smiling. "Your friends are still processing everything we told them."

Ichigo faced him. "Urahara, who exactly are you? Rukia told me you used to live in Seireitei. Were you…a Soul Reaper?"

"I used to be a captain, and I founded the research institute in Seireitei." A shadow flitted over Urahara's eyes. "Then…I was banished." Before Ichigo could ask why Urahara was exiled, Urahara smiled at Renji. "Since it seems that you are going to stay in the World of the Living for a while, how would you like to live here? I'll ask Jinta and Ururu to prepare your bed."

"That sounds a lot better than living in Kurosaki's dirty ass closet," Renji said. "Rukia, what do you think?"

Rukia shook her head. "I think I'll be staying in Ichigo's closet. I actually kind of like it."

"Oh FUCK no; you are NOT sleeping in my closet!" Ichigo protested. Rukia smiled at Ichigo. It was a charming smile that made Ichigo blush slightly. "Don't worry, Ichigo, I'm just sleeping in there. It's not like I'm going to spy on you while you're changing. I'm not like you."

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE, WE ARE NOT HAVING THIS CONVERSATION AGAIN!"

* * *

Inside the cave, was a laboratory. It wasn't a fancy, complicated one like Dexter's. The laboratory only contained a computer and giant tubes. The giant tubes contained a green liquid that bubbled every time the mutilated body floating inside it breathed. The bodies were disturbing to look at. Hideous scars crisscrossed the naked bodies. Bones jutted out. There was a giant hole on the chests, revealing no heart. These were the bodies that the man used to create Hollows. The Hollows were supposed to be significantly stronger than most, but somehow, the orange haired teenager defeated them easily. _What should I do? _The man snickered. _Maybe I should pay you a visit one day, Kurosaki Ichigo._

**Review please! This is my first fan fiction and I would like to know how I can improve it. Thank you! xoxo**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Chad and Orihime refused to talk for several days. No one questioned Chad's silence. He was never one to talk much. Orihime, on the other hand, was a different story. Orihime's friends, Tatsuki especially, were used to seeing Orihime acting bubbly. Ever since Orihime was told about the existence of Soul Reapers, she had become quiet and distant. Ichigo wasn't sure exactly what Urahara and the cat lady told Chad and Orihime, but he didn't like the effect it had on them. "Rukia, was it really necessary for Chad and Inoue to know about all this?" Ichigo asked. Rukia studied a juice box Ichigo had given her. "Yes, it's imperative for anyone with a lot of spiritual pressure to know. Hey, how do these boxes work?" Rukia was clueless about the human world. Sometimes, it was annoying. Other times, it was cute. Rukia's question was the latter. "You just take the straw and stab the box with the sharp end," Ichigo explained, "Then you drink from the straw." Rukia followed his directions. Her violet eyes lit up after the first gulp. "Wow, this tea tastes great! Renji, why doesn't Seireitei have these tea boxes?"

"Maybe because the whole concept of it is stupid? Why would tea be carried around in a box? And why would we need to use a straw to drink from it?" Renji snapped. He seemed to dislike anything related to the human world.

Rukia shrugged. "I don't know, but it's pretty good tea."

"It's not tea," Ichigo corrected her, "It's juice."

"No wonder it didn't taste like tea," Rukia mused. "What kind of juice is it anyway?"

"It's apple juice. There are a lot more kinds of juice, though."

"I would like to try all of them." Rukia sounded so determined that Ichigo smiled.

"Oi, Ichigo! Since when did you become best friends with the new kids?" Keigo Asano and Mizuiro Kojima ran up to them. Well, Keigo was running and Mizuiro was being dragged by him. "Are you in a threesome or something?" Renji punched Keigo in the face and sent him flying. Unfortunately for Mizuiro, Keigo was still holding on to him. Mizuiro went flying as well. "Baka! We're just acquaintances! Nothing more, nothing less," Renji shouted.

"Don't be too hard on Keigo," Ichigo said, "He's just an idiot."

Mizuiro got up and walked over to them. "We never properly introduced ourselves. I'm Kojima, Mizuiro." He pointed at Keigo, who had not yet recovered from Renji's punch. "My friend over there is Asano, Keigo. Don't mind him; the only thing Keigo really thinks about is sex."

"I'm Kuchiki, Rukia," Rukia said.

"I'm Abarai, Renji. If you fuck with me, you're going to experience lots of pain," Renji growled.

Mizuiro blinked. "Um, OK." He turned to Rukia. "So, what do you think of Karakura High? Do you like it?"

Rukia nodded. "It's very interesting. I've never been to a school like this before, so the experience is nice."

"Oh? You've never been to school before? Were you homeschooled or something?"

"Yes, she was homeschooled. Both of them were," Ichigo said quickly. He turned to Rukia. "Rukia, be careful of Mizuiro. He may not look like it, but he's sly with the ladies."

"Hey, Ichigo! You know I'm only into older women."

_Exactly_, Ichigo thought. He didn't know Rukia's exact age, but since Rukia was a spirit, it seemed safe to assume that Rukia was 100+ years old.

The bell rang. "Lunch is over," Ichigo said. The five students (Keigo just got up) made their way back to class. Ichigo only walked a few steps when he sensed something. Rukia's Hollow detector started beeping. "What the hell is making that annoying beeping sound?" Keigo asked. "You and Mizuiro can head to class," Ichigo replied. "Rukia, Renji and I need to do something." Ichigo's soul jumped out of his body. Keigo and Mizuiro stared, dumbfounded, as his body fell. Renji's gigai slumped as he struggled to leave it. "Get the fuck off, god damn it!" Renji cursed.

"Renji, we can't waste any time," Rukia said, jumping onto Ichigo's back. "Ichigo and I will go find the Hollow. You can catch up to us once you get out of your gigai. Let's go, Ichigo!"

* * *

Orihime Inoue stared out the window of her classroom. She sensed something. It was probably those demons. _Hollows_, Urahara-san and Yoruichi-san had called them. Ever since that day, Orihime felt at war with herself. Orihime had been able to sense supernatural beings for as long as she could remember. She had never told anyone. Who would believe her? However, nine days ago, Orihime learned that she wasn't alone. Her classmates, Sado "Chad" Yasutora, and Kurosaki Ichigo, also had the ability to sense spirits. Not only that, Kurosaki-kun was a Soul Reaper. He, along with the new students, passed judgment onto spirits. The evil spirits, called Hollows, were to be destroyed. Urahara-san, the owner of the Urahara shop, also turned out to be a former Soul Reaper. The black cat that Orihime often saw walking by turned out to be a woman named Yoruichi who had grown up with Urahara-san. Orihime discovered all of this so suddenly, she had no idea what to make of it. To make matters worse, Urahara-san offered to train her and Sado-kun to become Soul Reapers. Orihime Inoue, become a Soul Reaper? Anyone would have laughed at the idea. Orihime would have, too. Orihime was known as the sweet, innocent girl who would never hurt a flea. Still, Orihime felt the need to help Kurosaki-kun. If she really could become a Soul Reaper, then she could help Kurosaki-kun protect Karakura…and spend more time with Kurosaki-kun. Yes, Orihime had a crush on her orange haired classmate. She didn't exactly know why. She and Kurosaki-kun rarely talked. The only reason they knew each other was because Orihime's best friend, Tatsuki Arisawa, was a childhood friend of Kurosaki-kun.

"Orihime, is there something wrong?" Tatsuki's voice interrupted Orihime's thoughts. "You haven't really been talking much recently. Did something happen to you? Did your relatives stop sending you money?"

Orihime forced herself to smile. "It's nothing, Tatsuki-chan. I'm fine, really."

But Orihime wasn't fine.

Something roared in the distance. Orihime got up. "Sensei, may I go to the bathroom?" She asked.

The teacher nodded. "Sure, Inoue, but don't take too long."

"May I go to the bathroom, too?"

Orihime nearly jumped when she heard Sado-kun's voice. "Sure, but don't take too long." The teacher said.

Orihime and Chad speed walked outside. "Sado-kun, this could be my worst decision ever, but I think I'm going to become a Soul Reaper."

Chad nodded. "I too will become a Soul Reaper. Ichigo, Kuchiki, and Abarai could use some help."

Orihime had never heard Sado-kun say so much at a time, so she knew Sado-kun was serious. Orihime took a deep breath. "Let's go, Sado-kun!"

* * *

_Too easy,_ Ichigo thought as he slashed the Hollow. The Hollow stumbled backwards, only to be whipped by Renji's zanpakuto. The Hollow whirled around and spat a ball of purple substance. It looked like a Pokémon move. Renji attempted to dodge the attack, but something seemed to be pulling his body down. "AAHHH!" Renji cried as the ball hit him. The Hollow charged. Quickly, Ichigo jumped over the Hollow and slashed its head. The Hollow disintegrated. Ichigo glanced at Renji. Rukia was already examining his wounds. "Renji, what's wrong? How come you couldn't dodge that?" Rukia asked. Renji shook his head. He didn't know either.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Ichigo turned at the sound of his name. His eyes widened when he saw Orihime and Chad running towards him. "_Inoue__? Chad? _What are you two DOING here?" Orihime blushed. "W-we just wanted to help you and Kuchiki-san and Abarai-san fight the Hollow. Were we too late?"

"A little," Ichigo said, "But I think it's better if you don't help us."

"H-how come?"

"You two aren't Soul Reapers. You could get yourselves hurt."

"Speaking of 'hurt', why don't we take Renji to Urahara?" Rukia helped Renji up.

* * *

"We want to become Soul Reapers," Orihime told Urahara and the cat lady Yoruichi.

"No, they CAN'T become Soul Reapers!" Ichigo protested.

"How come?" Orihime asked indignantly.

"I don't want you or Chad to get hurt," Ichigo replied. Orihime's face turned several shades redder. "Don't be mad Inoue, I just don't want you to get caught into this whole Soul Reaper business."

Orihime's face turned even redder. "I-I'm not mad, Kurosaki-kun. I'm glad that you want me-I mean, Sado-kun and I-to be safe, but we really want to be Soul Reapers."

"And you two will become Soul Reapers," Yoruichi said. "You know what they say, the more, the merrier. Karakura seems to be a popular place for Hollows, so we need as much Soul Reapers as possible. Kisuke and I will train you three."

"Why do I need to be trained?" Ichigo asked. "I can take down Hollows easily. I don't really need training."

"Yes you DO need training." Rukia walked into the room. She nodded at Urahara. "Renji is feeling a lot better. Arigato, Urahara-san." She glared at Ichigo so fiercely that Ichigo nearly flinched. "Oh, so basically you destroy a few Hollows and now you think you're a god or something? You think you're cool? You think that you don't need any training? Well, you know what I think? I think you're a cocky asshole who needs a reality check. You haven't been a Soul Reaper for even two weeks. You don't know all the things you can do with your zanpakuto. The only moves you know are cut, slash, and scratch. That's not going to be enough against stronger opponents. You. Need. To. TRAIN!"

Ichigo was speechless. Even though he hadn't known Rukia that long, during the eleven days she was here, Ichigo had never seen her mad. Annoyed, yes, but never angry. "I'm sorry, Rukia. I guess I really do need to train."

"You GUESS?" Rukia's fists balled at her sides as she stormed off.

Yoruichi chuckled. "Wow Ichigo, you're great with the ladies." Her face became more serious. "Now, Kisuke and I have a great place for you three to train. Rukia and Renji can join if they want to. Those two also have a lot to learn. What days are all of you free? I know that you guys have to go to school and education is very important. I don't think we're in a huge rush so we don't have to train every day."

"I think we can train over the weekend," Ichigo said. Chad and Orihime agreed with him.

"Good. Meet us here and we'll take you to the training area," Urahara said.

* * *

Ichigo yawned and stretched his arms as he walked into his bedroom. He sensed Rukia in his closet. Remembering the dispute between them, Ichigo knocked on the closet door. "Hey, Rukia, I realize that what I said earlier was wrong and I want to apologize again. I'm sorry." Rukia opened the closet. Ichigo was surprised to see Rukia wearing Yuzu's pajamas. "Hey, why did you take Yuzu's pa—"

"Look, Ichigo, I understand that I might have overreacted before, but you need to understand that being a Soul Reaper isn't as easy as breathing. All Soul Reapers have to train, even captains. I don't want something bad to happen to you all because you made a careless mistake."

There was a moment of silence between them. It wasn't an awkward silence, but a beautiful one. Ichigo was captivated by Rukia's eyes that stood out like vibrant flowers in the moon of her face. He always thought they were pretty, but the caring expression took Ichigo's breath away.

Rukia looked away, and Ichigo was freed from the spell. "Um, I think we should get some sleep. Goodnight, Ichigo." Rukia murmured. She closed the closet.

"Goodnight, Rukia," Ichigo whispered and turned the lights off. He got into bed and drifted off to the realm of dreams.

Meanwhile, Rukia was in Ichigo's closet, pondering the moment she had with Ichigo. Ichigo's eyes always had a spark of confidence. This time, however, his eyes looked at her in a way that seemed gentle. What bothered Rukia even more was that she had no idea why. _I don't think I'll ever understand that boy_. Rukia sighed and fell asleep.

* * *

_A middle aged man stood in front of Ichigo. "Ichigo," he said, "Can you guess who I am?"_

_Ichigo shook his head._

_The man sighed. "I am Zangetsu. I am the spirit of your zanpakuto. It is imperative for you to know my name in order to become stronger and protect the people you care about."_

_"The people I care about," Ichigo said to himself. _

_He thought about Rukia._

* * *

The crystal ball that the man had was no ordinary crystal ball. The crystal ball was the man's eyes to the world. Every day, the man used to crystal ball to watch Ichigo. He snickered when Ichigo and the female Soul Reaper shared a romantic moment together. _My, my, it seems as if the boy is falling in love. People just grow up so fast._ A cruel idea popped up in the man's head. _Maybe I can use his feelings against him. _The man brought his crystal ball to his lab. The crystal ball was not just the man's eyes, but a powerful item the man used to create Hollows. The Hollows he made so far weren't as powerful as they could be. Ichigo proved that. In order for the man's evil plan to work, he would have to create much more powerful Hollows.

And the man knew how to.

The man chanted a spell. He watched with glee as one of the bodies transformed into a Hollow. This Hollow was different from the other Hollows he made. This Hollow looked more human. He had black hair, white skin, and bright green eyes. "Your name will be Ulquiorra Cifer," the man said, "And your task is to kidnap Kuchiki, Rukia."

**Review please! This is my first fan fiction and I would like to know how I can improve it. Thank you! xoxo**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"The five of you will train here." Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, Chad, and Orihime stared at the area which was mostly made out of stone. Urahara gestured at Yoruichi and his three employees. "Since there are five of us, you guys can train individually while each of us monitor you guys. We'll switch occasionally so that you can get advice from all five of us."

"Wait, those two shrimps are going to train us?" Renji pointed at the red haired boy and black haired girl, who were both wearing headgear. Ichigo didn't know their names, but he remembered getting yelled at by the red haired kid.

"Jinta and Ururu will help train you. Don't underestimate them, they're not like human children," Urahara said. "Now, Sado, you will train with me first. Orihime, you'll go with Yoruichi. Rukia can go with Tessai. Ichigo will be with Ururu and Renji, you can train with Jinta."

"Oh, fuck no! I refuse to train with a kid!" Renji exclaimed.

Jinta, the red head, scowled. "DID YOU NOT HEAR WHAT URAHARA SAID?! I'M NOT AN ORDINARY CHILD! I BET I CAN BEAT YOU UP IN TWO SECONDS FLAT!"

"In case you hadn't noticed by now _Jinta,_ I am an official Soul Reaper. You, on the other hand, are an employee at a convenience store."

"So? Just because we have different jobs, doesn't mean you're better! Pineapple!"

"Wanna bet? Let's start training! And what did you just call me?"

Renji and Jinta ran to an open area and began sparring. Ichigo snickered when Jinta punched Renji in the stomach. Someone tugged at the sleeve of Ichigo's kimono. Ichigo looked down. It was the girl. "What's your name again?" Ichigo asked.

"Ururu," the girl whispered.

"OK, Ururu. Let's go!"

Ichigo and Ururu walked to an empty section of the area. Suddenly, she jumped up. Ichigo backed away just in time to avoid a punch from Ururu. His eyes widened when the ground exploded underneath her fist. _Holy shit, this girl is strong_. Ururu stepped back and charged. Ichigo unsheathed Zangetsu and blocked Ururu's kick. The impact caused Ichigo to slide backwards. Ururu got down low and kicked Ichigo's legs. A sharp pain hit Ichigo as his back made contact with the hard ground. Ururu jumped up. Ichigo rolled away from another powerful punch. Quickly, he got up and kicked Ururu. Before Ururu could regain her balance, Ichigo pointed Zangetsu at her. "Got you," Ichigo said triumphantly. All of a sudden, Ururu took out a canon thing. She fired it. Ichigo managed to avoid getting directly hit, but could not move fast enough to fully dodge it. The explosion threw Ichigo backwards. _Damn it, why can't I beat this girl?_ Ururu leaped out of all the dust and debris. Ichigo dodged a punch from Ururu and hit Ururu's headgear. Luckily for him, Ururu was a small girl. She rolled off into the area where Urahara and Chad were training. "Good job, Ichigo!" Urahara praised. He signaled everyone to stop training. "It's lunch time now. After you're finished eating, you can start training again, but with different people."

Ichigo's stomach growled. He was starving. Someone poked Ichigo's back. Ichigo turned around and couldn't help but smile when he saw Rukia. "Hey, Rukia how was your training?"

"My Soul Reaper powers have not been restored yet, so Tessai and I worked on hand-to-hand combat."

"And how did that go?"

"It was fun. Tessai is quite strong."

"So is Ururu. Be careful when you train with her."

Rukia smiled. "You seem to have forgotten who you're talking to."

Ichigo chuckled. "It seems that I have."

"Shut up! I don't want to watch you two flirting up a storm when I'm eating!" Jinta screeched.

Ichigo and Rukia blushed. "WE WEREN'T FLIRTING!" They cried in unison.

Renji walked by. There was a giant bruise forming on his eye and he was limping. Despite the fact that he was beaten up by a kid, Renji looked triumphant. "Don't mind Jinta 'the loser' Hanakari. He's just annoyed that I beat him."

"You did NOT win!" Jinta protested. "You just punched me and Urahara told us to stop before I could get up!"

"Yeah, he told us to stop about five minutes after I punched you. Just admit it, Jinta. You L-O-S-T."

"Why you-"

"Abarai-san, Kuchiki-san, Hanakari-san, Kurosaki-kun! Lunch is ready!" Orihime skipped towards them and gave everyone a bento box. She blushed when Ichigo's hand accidentally brushed against hers. "Sorry, Inoue," Ichigo said.

"I-it's OK, Kurosaki-kun," Orihime stammered.

Rukia dug into her lunch, eyes narrowing. Orihime always acted nervous in front of Ichigo. She wondered why. Was Orihime scared of Ichigo? Rukia wouldn't be surprised if she was. At school, Ichigo never smiled. Even though Ichigo was a nice guy, he looked quite intimidating.

Still, that wouldn't explain why Orihime's face would turn red every time she and Ichigo talked to each other. "Is there something bothering you, Rukia?" Renji's voice interrupted Rukia's train of thought. Rukia smiled. "It's nothing, Renji." She turned to Orihime. "So, Inoue how did your training go?"

"Yoruichi-san decided I wasn't much of a fighter, so I'm going to learn Kido," Orihime replied. Rukia nodded. She didn't know Orihime that well, but she felt that Orihime was more of a healer than a fighter.

"Hey, where's Chad?" Ichigo asked.

"Still training," Rukia said. "He said he wasn't hungry."

Ichigo stared down at his half-eaten lunch. He looked like he was thinking hard. Ichigo ate the rest of his food quickly and got up. His eyes glowed with determination. "If Chad is going to train hard, then I will, too! I don't care if we're in a rush or not. I'm going to make myself stronger!"

Rukia was taken aback by Ichigo's declaration. "Ichigo, it's good that you want to train, but why so determined all of a sudden?"

Ichigo hesitated. "Rukia, remember when I said I didn't need to train? Training with Ururi made me completely understand that I still have a lot of room for improvement. If I had trouble beating a little girl, then how could anyone possibly expect me to protect Karakura? Chad is working hard to become strong, so why can't I? I'll train until I can no longer stand!"

"Ichigo…" Rukia breathed. She had never seen Ichigo act like this before.

Renji got up. "First of all, the girl's name is Ururu. Second, you DEFINITELY need to train more. And third, I will train hard, too. There's no way I'm letting a human surpass me."

Ichigo smirked at Renji. "Let's battle each other one day, Renji. I would like to see if a human can defeat a Soul Reaper." Renji met Ichigo's challenging stare. Rukia could actually see the rivalry forming between them.

"I accept your challenge, Kurosaki Ichigo."

* * *

Ulquiorra Cifer slowly made his way to Karakura Town. His master had ordered him to kidnap the girl with strong spiritual pressure. Ulquiorra wasn't given an explanation, but he intended to carry out his master's order anyway. Ulquiorra honestly did not care what the reason was. It was his duty to do whatever his master ordered.

Something rustled in the bushes. Ulquiorra stopped and sensed a strong spiritual pressure. A man wearing rags crawled out. The man's eyes widened. "Wow, you look like someone from a movie."

Ulquiorra concealed his surprise. _This human can see me?_ Ulquiorra took out his zanpakuto and impaled the man. The man stared at the zanpakuto, blood trickling out of his mouth, and slumped. Ulquiorra took his zanpakuto out of the dead man's body and continued his journey.

* * *

Ichigo's body was sore. He had trained vigorously all day and was still training even though everyone else just left.

"Ichigo, you've trained long enough. Even Renji is done. I think we should head back home and rest."

Ichigo glanced at Rukia. "I'm not done training, yet." He raised his zanpakuto and prepared to strike at a dummy. A hand grabbed his arm. Ichigo looked down at Rukia. "Ichigo, we'll be coming back tomorrow. There's no need for you to exert so much energy today."

"I didn't use THAT much energy, Rukia. In fact, I don't think I can go to sleep tonight!" Ichigo slashed the dummy in half. All of a sudden, Ichigo's leg jerked and he fell down.

Rukia kneeled down next to him. "Ichigo, you're exhausted. You have to stop training, otherwise you'll pass out."

Ichigo looked into Rukia's concerned eyes. "Thanks for worrying about me, Rukia, but I need to get stronger."

"And you WILL get stronger, but not today. Let's go home, Ichigo."

Ichigo didn't know what to say to that. Slowly he got up and inserted himself back into his body. "Let's go, Rukia."

Rukia grinned as they walked back to Ichigo's house. "That was easier than I thought it would be."

"What was?"

"Convincing you to stop training, I thought it would take hours."

"Well, you're lucky I fell down there. Otherwise, it WOULD have taken you hours."

"So you're admitting I would've eventually stopped you?"

Ichigo pushed Rukia gently. "I never said that."

Rukia giggled.

As soon as they walked into Ichigo's room, Ichigo collapsed on his bed and fell asleep. Rukia observed Ichigo's sleeping face. He looked so… peaceful. As if he didn't have a single care in the world. Rukia never noticed how attractive Ichigo was before.

_He looks just like him._ Rukia sighed and changed into Yuzu's pajamas.

* * *

_Rukia gripped her zanpakuto, Sode no Shirayuki, so tightly that the shaft dug into her palms and drew out blood. Her hands shook like tiny earthquakes._

_Pierced by Sode no Shirayuki was not the Hollow._

_It was_ him.

_Kaien._

* * *

Orihime couldn't sleep. Her mind was on today's training session.

"_Yoruichi-san, how do you know for sure I can help Kurosaki-kun?"_

"_You may not know it, Orihime, but you have strong spiritual pressure. I'm sure that time will make you stronger."_

"_But Yoruichi-san, I don't know if I would be able to kill my opponent, no matter how evil they are."_

"_Who said anything about killing? Orihime, I think you're better off as a healer."_

"_R-really? I don't have to fight?"_

"_No you don't. Now, let's begin your training."_

Orihime sighed and raised her hands up to her face. One day, these hands would save someone's life. Orihime imagined herself healing a badly injured Kurosaki-kun…and failing. What if Kurosaki-kun died because she was unable to save him? The idea terrified Orihime. She forced herself to think happy thoughts until Orihime fell asleep.

* * *

Orihime wasn't the only one who struggled to sleep. Back at the Urahara shop, Renji tossed and turned in his bed. After that fucker made his announcement about working hard, Rukia had looked at him differently from what she usually did. She was surprised, Renji could tell, but mixed in that surprise was…admiration? No, it seemed more than admiration, but Renji couldn't put his finger on the word. All Renji knew was that Rukia never looked at him like that.

Renji was jealous.

He didn't know why, he just was. Renji had known Rukia for practically his whole life, but not even once had Rukia looked at him the way she looked at Ichigo. Renji thought about Ichigo. Ichigo was a human with Soul Reaper powers. He was hotheaded and stubborn. His name also reminded Renji of strawberries. "The only reason why Rukia looked at him like that was because he's the first human to have Soul Reaper powers," Renji told himself, "She's just curious about him. That is all." Renji's words did not comfort him. They didn't sound right. _Get a hold of yourself, Renji. Why are you so bothered by this? Rukia can look at Ichigo however the fuck she likes._

Renji closed his eyes. Right before he fell asleep, Rukia's smiling face popped in his head.

* * *

The man watched Ulquiorra make his way to Karakura. Ulquiorra was killing everyone or everything in his path, whether they had sensed him or not. The man snickered. He had made Ulquiorra to be an empty killing machine. It would be very entertaining to see Ulquiorra battle Ichigo, but the man would rather face Ichigo himself. He had ordered Ulquiorra to kidnap Rukia in order to lure Ichigo into his lair. The man laughed. The laugh was so menacing that even a ghost would shudder.

**Review please! This is my first fan fiction and I would like to know how I can improve it. Thank you! xoxo**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Shikai!" Ichigo's zanpakuto transformed into a large Khyber knife.

"Howl, Zabimaru!" Renji whipped his zanpakuto at Ichigo. He clenched his teeth when Ichigo blocked all of his attacks with ease. Everyone had been training for two weeks, yet it seemed as if that only Ichigo was improving. Renji himself felt…weaker. For some reason, Renji's spiritual pressure was slowly fading away. Ichigo's spiritual pressure seemed to be skyrocketing overnight. He slashed at Renji. Despite being able to block the attack, Renji was still knocked backwards. _Damn it, what is wrong with me?_

"Lunch time!" Urahara's upbeat voice irked Renji. Fists balling at his sides, Renji stomped towards Rukia.

"What's wrong, Renji?" Rukia asked.

"WE NEED TO TALK!" Renji took Rukia's tiny hand and brought her to an empty section of the training area. Rukia's hand fit so perfectly in his that Renji found it difficult to let go.

"Renji, is this about Ichigo?" Rukia asked softly.

"Why, yes it is about that orange haired fucker. Why the hell is his spiritual pressure so strong? Why is ours weakening?"

Rukia shook her head. "I don't know, Renji. I was planning on talking to Urahara about it. He might know." Rukia glanced at Ichigo. Ichigo was shoving his lunch down his mouth. She giggled when Ichigo resumed his training. _He really is getting strong. _Rukia wondered if that was good or bad.

* * *

"I have to say, Ichigo, you've really improved." Urahara praised.

Ichigo grinned. "Of course I have, everyone has."

Urahara shook his head. "But you, my pupil, have improved much more than they have. I think it's time I teach you a skill that not many Soul Reapers can achieve."

Excitement flickered through Ichigo. "What is it?"

"It's called 'bankai.' It's a very powerful skill, unique to each Soul Reaper, which normally takes years to learn. I think I'll help you activate your bankai tomorrow."

"Why not now?"

"It's getting late, Ichigo. Chad and Orihime already left."

Ichigo opened his mouth to protest. "Urahara, Renji and I need to talk to you." The voice didn't belong to Ichigo, but to Rukia.

"Rukia, is there something wrong?" Ichigo asked

Renji glared at him. "Rukia and I need to talk to Urahara alone. You can go home now."

"What the—I have the right to know what's going on!" Ichigo cried.

"Ichigo! Renji told you to leave, so why don't you JUST GO HOME!" Rukia snapped.

Ichigo flinched. Why was Rukia so mad? He gritted his teeth. "Oh I see how it is." Seething, Ichigo sheathed his zanpakuto and made his way home. It bothered Ichigo that he didn't know what was going on. It bothered Ichigo that Renji was telling him what to do.

It bothered Ichigo that Rukia didn't want him around.

"Wait, Ichigo I didn't mean to snap at you like that," Rukia exclaimed. Her heart sank when Ichigo ignored her.

"Let him go," Renji said in a surprisingly gentle tone. He turned to Urahara and his tone became more serious. "We have to talk about Ichigo."

"His spiritual pressure rivals that of a captain's." Yoruichi mused, walking towards them in her cat form.

"It is a strange phenomenon, isn't it?" Urahara looked up at the sky. "A dark cloud is looming over Karakura. Whatever it is, it's absorbing our spiritual pressure. For some reason, Ichigo is benefitting from it. I'm not saying he's the cause of it, but Ichigo plays a major role in this." Urahara paused. "Your job is..."

* * *

Ichigo kicked a pebble. He watched as it rolled by someone's feet. His eyes widened. "Inoue? Why are you still out?" Ichigo inquired.

"I-I was just taking a walk, Kurosaki-kun," Orihime stammered. She studied Ichigo's face. "A-are you OK, Kurosaki-kun? Did something happen between you and Kuchiki-san?"

Ichigo nearly winced. He faked a smile. "Nothing happened. What makes you think something happened between us?"

"You care about Kuchiki-san a lot," Orihime murmured. "Your lips are smiling, but your eyes aren't. If something happened between you two, then of course you would be upset."

"Well, nothing happened between us," Ichigo replied a little too quickly, "I'm perfectly fine!"

Orihime watched as Ichigo ran back home. "I know you're not fine." Orihime whispered to herself. Tears pricked her eyes. She couldn't help but feel jealous of Kuchiki-san. Kurosaki-kun cared about her so much…

Sighing, Orihime walked back home.

As soon as Orihime stepped into her house, she ran into her room and collapsed onto her bed. The tears flooded out. Why couldn't Kurosaki-kun care about her as much as he cared about Kuchiki-san? She unconsciously touched the blue flower pin in her hair.

_Foolish girl, why are you crying?_ The voice sounded unfamiliar. Suddenly, Orihime sensed someone else's presence. She looked up. Standing at her open window was a man she had never seen before. He had pale skin, black hair, and wore a white jacket and white hakama. The man reminded Orihime of Edward Scissorhands, except that this man did not have scissors for hands. Instead, he had the most brilliant green eyes Orihime had ever seen. Fear gripped Orihime's heart. Orihime could tell that this man was suppressing his spiritual pressure. _He doesn't want people to notice him._

"W-who are you and w-what are you doing in my room?" Orihime stuttered.

The man pointed at her. His nails matched the color of his hair. "Are you Kuchiki Rukia?"

Orihime stared at the man. What did he want from Kuchiki-san? Orihime's gut told her that Kuchiki-san was in grave danger. "Yes, I am Kuchiki Rukia." Orihime lied. "What do you want?"

"I need you to come with me," the man said. "My master wants you."

"Why? Did I do something to him?"

"No, but he needs you to help him destroy someone."

"W-who does he want to destroy?"

"That is no concern of yours," the man replied. "Now, I need you to come with me."

"What happens if I don't?"

"Then I will use force. Would you rather leave peacefully with me, or would it be better if I knocked you out?"

Orihime closed her eyes and thought hard. She knew that she could never fight him. For the last two weeks, Tessai and Yoruichi-san had taught her healing powers. Orihime would lose for sure. A part of Orihime told her to tell the man that she was not Kuchiki-san. However, Orihime wasn't sure if being honest was the right decision. Either way, the man would probably hurt her. _If I tell him where the real Kuchiki-san is, then Kuchiki-san will be in danger. This is my chance to protect her_. Orihime took a deep breath. "I will go with you." The man nodded and offered his hand. Orihime took it. "What is your name?" She asked.

"The name is Ulquiorra Cifer."

* * *

_Your job is to protect Ichigo with your life and make sure Ichigo knows nothing about this_. Urahara's words ran through Rukia's head as she walked back to Ichigo's house. What was going on? Why did Ichigo have to be involved in this? Rukia halted. She thought about Ichigo's stubbornness. She smiled internally. Ichigo's persistence was aggravating at times, but Rukia liked it. She could not imagine how she would feel if something awful happened to Ichigo.

Rukia ran to Ichigo's house and jumped through his window. "Ichigo, I'm sorry for yelling…" Rukia froze. Ichigo was standing in his room wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. There was an awkward silence between them as they exchanged stupid looks. Rukia quickly turned around. Her cheeks reddened. "I'M SORRY I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WEREN'T WEARING CLOTHES OTHERWISE I WOULD HAVE WAITED OUTSIDE!" Rukia cried.

Ichigo flushed as he quickly changed into his clothes. "NO DON'T BE SORRY. I SHOULD'VE SENSED YOU AND WARNED YOU BEFORE YOU CAME IN!"

Someone knocked on Ichigo's door. "Nii-san, who are you talking to?" Ichigo's sister, Karin, asked.

"No one, you're just hearing things Karin."

"Really, nii-san," Karin said incredulously. Rukia breathed a sigh of relief when she heard footsteps leaving. She turned around. "Ichigo, why weren't you wearing clothes?" Rukia hissed.

"I just showered! I don't know about you, but most people shower without any clothes on."

That was when Rukia noticed that Ichigo's hair was wet. It was strange seeing it flat and not spiky. Rukia remembered why she rushed to Ichigo's house in the first place. "Look, Ichigo, about today…"

"Don't worry about it," Ichigo interrupted her. "I was just acting immature because I wanted to know what was going on. It's none of my business, though. If you want to keep it a secret, then I'll respect that decision."

Once again, Rukia was taken aback by Ichigo's words. "Are you serious?"

Ichigo nodded.

Rukia smiled. "Thank you, Ichigo, but I really am sorry for not telling you."

Ichigo smiled and Rukia's heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, Ichigo winced. "Rukia, do you sense something?" He asked solemnly. Rukia concentrated hard. It was faint, but there was definitely an unfamiliar spiritual pressure leaving Karakura. Suddenly, Rukia sensed a familiar pressure. "Inoue's in trouble!" Ichigo exclaimed. Rukia grabbed Ichigo's hair and pulled out his soul. "Should we get Renji?" Rukia asked as she leaped onto Ichigo's back.

"I don't think we have time!" Ichigo jumped out of his window and followed the direction of the pressures.

Ichigo sprinted. He was never that close to Orihime, but Ichigo did not want her to get hurt.

It did not take too long for Ichigo to catch up to Orihime. Orihime was in the woods with a pale skinned man Ichigo had never seen before.

"K-kurosaki-kun, what are you doing here?" Orihime was baffled. She had tried to suppress her spiritual pressure as best as she could, how did Kurosaki-kun find her?

"What do you mean, 'what are you doing here?' We're here to save you," Ichigo retorted.

"I don't need to be saved!" Orihime lied. "I'm leaving with Ulquiorra on my own will."

Now it was Ichigo's turn to be surprised. "What are you talking about? Why do you want to leave Karakura?"

"Her decisions do not concern you," the man, Quesadilla or something, said. "If she wants to leave, let her go."

Ichigo stared at them. He wasn't sure if they were telling the truth. "Is this really what you want, Inoue?" Ichigo asked.

Orihime flinched at the sound of her name. For a fleeting moment, Orihime looked worried. Her expression quickly changed. "Yes, this is what I want," Orihime replied confidently.

"I'm not buying it. Do you seriously believe her, Ichigo?" Rukia asked.

"No, I think what Inoue is saying is bull shit." Ichigo unsheathed his zanpakuto. "Shikai!" The zanpakuto transformed into a large Khyber knife. Rukia jumped off of Ichigo's back. As soon as her feet hit the ground, Ichigo lunged at the man.

The man dodged. "Cero," he said. A green light appeared and was fired at Ichigo. Ichigo rolled to one side and slashed at Ulquiorra. Before his zanpakuto could rip through the man's body, the man took out his own zanpakuto and blocked the attack. The two guys stood there, testing each other's strength, attempting to push the other with their zanpakuto. Finally, Ichigo pushed the man back and slashed. The men drew back, but not before Ichigo's zanpakuto cut open the collar of his robe. Rukia and Orihime gasped. At the base of the man's throat was a gaping black hole.

"What are you?" Ichigo growled.

"That is none of your business," the man replied calmly. "Cero!"

Ichigo could not completely avoid the attack. He was standing too close to the man. Ichigo lost his balance and felt an intense pain in his shoulder. Rukia ran up to the man and aimed a punch. The man grabbed her wrist and threw her hard at a tree. Before Ichigo could react, the man impaled Ichigo's chest…with his hand. Ichigo coughed out blood. Words could not describe how painful it was. "You have a lot of spiritual pressure," the man murmured. "But it seems that you do not know how to use the full extent of your power." He took his bloody hand out of Ichigo's chest. The man turned to Orihime. "Kuchiki, let's go."

_Did he really just call her Kuchiki?_ Ichigo thought as he struggled to get up. Ichigo's vision went blurry. The last thing he saw was the man leaving with Orihime before Ichigo's world faded to black.

* * *

"W-was it really necessary to hurt Kurosaki-kun like that?" Orihime asked. Guilt was jabbing at her. She had hoped that by leaving with Ulquiorra, Kurosaki-kun and Kuchiki-san would be unharmed. Now, Kurosaki-kun might die because of her. Orihime bit her lip to stop the tears from coming.

"Of course it was necessary. Your friend was trying to apprehend us," Ulquiorra answered. He glanced at Orihime. "Speaking of him, why did he call you 'Inoue'?"

Orihime thought quickly. "There's a girl in my school named Inoue. She looks like me, so sometimes Kurosaki-kun calls me that." She wasn't sure if Ulquiorra believed her. If he didn't, then his disbelief was concealed very well.

"Who is he anyway?" Ulquiorra asked. "His spiritual pressure is powerful."

"Kurosaki-kun is a friend of mine. He's a human but he received Soul Reaper powers from that girl who tried to punch you."

"That girl is a Soul Reaper? Who is she?"

"H-her name is Arisawa, Tatsuki."

Orihime prayed that Tatsuki-chan didn't get tangled in this mess.

Ulquiorra grabbed Orihime's arm and flash stepped to a cave. Orihime nearly gasped. The cave was huge!

"Go in, now!" Ulquiorra ordered.

Obediently, Orihime walked into the cave with Ulquiorra. She sensed a strong spiritual pressure somewhere deep in the cave.

A shadow flitted by. Orihime swallowed.

"Ulquiorra, who did you bring?" A hoarse voice snarled.

"I brought you Kuchiki, Rukia," Ulquiorra replied.

Someone stepped out of the shadows. With golden hair and ocean blue eyes, the man was quite handsome. However, his gaze was threatening and sent chills down Orihime's spine.

"She is not Kuchiki, Rukia!" The man smacked Ulquiorra.

"You said to bring the girl with strong spiritual pressure! This girl has strong spiritual pressure."

"But she is not Kuchiki Rukia! She is Inoue Orihime!"

Orihime winced. How did he know her name?

Ulquiorra glared at Orihime. "That explains why Kurosaki called you Inoue. Tell me the truth, who was the girl that was with him? Is she actually Kuchiki?"

There was no point in lying anymore. "Yes, she is Kuchiki-san. I am Orihime," Orihime said.

Ulquiorra raised his hand. Orihime tensed and braced herself for the slap that was going to come.

"Don't hit her, Ulquiorra," the man said, "We can still use her. I know for a fact that Ichigo will come for her."

* * *

_A young woman with brown hair walked up to Ichigo. Ichigo felt elated when he recognized her. "Hello, Ichigo," she said._

_Ichigo smiled. "Hello, mother. Long time no see"_

_Masaki Kurosaki grinned. Ichigo felt his heart ache. It had been a while since he had seen his mother's smile. "I've really missed you, Ichigo."_

"_I've missed you, too." Ichigo's voice cracked._

_Masaki's expression suddenly changed. Something glowed behind her. Ichigo was blinded by green light. When he regained his vision, Masaki was lying on top of him, motionless…lifeless. _

"_Ichigo…Ichigo…Ichigo…"_

_Something grabbed Ichigo and ripped him away from his mother._

"_Ichigo…Ichigo…"_

_Ichigo's world became white._

"Ichigo!"

Ichigo slowly opened his eyes. Rukia was leaning over him. Her eyes expressed concern. "Ichigo, are you alright?"

Ichigo groaned and sat up. He looked around. They were in the Urahara Shop.

"Glad to see that Sleeping Beauty has finally woken up," Renji sneered.

"Go suck a lemon, Renji!" Ichigo said.

Ichigo glanced at Rukia. Suddenly, he felt a pain in his chest. Ichigo looked down. Bandages were wrapped around his chest tightly. That was when Ichigo remembered. "Where are Quesadilla and Inoue?"

"One, I think his name was Ulquiorra," Rukia's tone became softer, "And I don't know where Inoue went."

Ichigo's mind was a perfect blank. After what seemed like years, Ichigo said, "This is my fault. I wasn't strong enough to save Inoue."

"Ichigo, it's not your fault!" Rukia said fiercely.

'It is! Ulqui-something was right. I don't know how to use the full extent of my power."

"That's because you've only been training for two weeks." Urahara's voice startled Ichigo. Urahara sat down beside him. "My gut tells me that Orihime is safe…for now. Before you go to save her, I will train you. I will help you activate your bankai." Urahara nodded at Rukia and Renji. "The same goes for you two. Rukia, I don't know when all of your powers will be restored, but let's hope that it happens soon."

* * *

The Hollow roared. A short boy with spiky white hair stabbed it. He mumbled something and ice cocooned the Hollow's body, freezing it.

"Good job, Captain Hitsugaya!" A curvaceous blonde stepped towards him. Suddenly, she felt a strange sensation take over her. Captain Hitsugaya felt the same.

"Matsumoto… our spiritual pressure…"

"It feels like it's fading away!"

The Hollow broke free from the ice. It roared and charged at the two Soul Reapers.

Deep in the cave far, far away, the crystal ball glowed.

**Review please! This is my first fan fiction and I would like to know how I can improve it. Thank you! xoxo**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The doorbell woke Ichigo up.

"Hey, Tatsuki, long time no see!" Yuzu chimed. Ichigo froze. He knew that something bad was going to happen.

"ICHIGO TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED TO ORIHIME!" Tatsuki stormed into Ichigo's room. She placed her hands on her hips and tapped her foot impatiently.

"Didn't Inoue tell you? She went to visit her relatives." The lie tasted like shit on Ichigo's tongue.

"Cut the crap, Ichigo, tell me the truth!"

"I AM telling the truth. Why exactly are you so convinced I have something to do with Inoue's 'disappearance' anyway?"

"Orihime has been hanging around you a lot for the past couple of weeks. Now, she's disappeared from the face of the Earth. Coincidence? I think, NOT!" Tatsuki's voice began to tremble. "Please, Ichigo, tell me. What happened to my best friend? What secret are you two hiding from me? You used to confide in me, Ichigo, why did you stop trusting me?"

Ichigo sighed. There was no way he could explain everything that's happened. "I'm sorry, Tatsuki. Truly, I am. But this…secret…I can't tell you. Your life could be at risk."

"My life could be at risk?" Tatsuki bit her lip so hard that she tasted blood. "WHAT ABOUT ORIHIME'S LIFE THEN? ARE YOU SAYING THAT ORIHIME IS IN DANGER? ANSWER ME, ICHIGO!"

Ichigo shook his head sadly. "I can't Tatsuki, because I don't know either."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tatsuki fall onto her knees. Ichigo got out of bed. "Don't be upset Tatsuki; I'm sure that Orihime is fine."

"How can you say that? She hasn't come to school for the past week. She isn't at home. She just vanished!"

Ichigo hesitated. "Don't worry about Orihime, Tatsuki. I'll get her back."

Tatsuki got up. "Goodbye, Ichigo." She ran out of his room.

"H-hey Tatsuki, you're leaving already?" Ichigo's father asked. The door opened and was closed with a loud thud.

Rukia stepped out of Ichigo's closet. "Were you eavesdropping, Rukia?" Ichigo mumbled.

"Sorry, Ichigo, but you two were speaking so loudly that it was difficult not to."

Ichigo sat on his bed. "Rukia, be honest. Is it my fault that Inoue is gone?"

Rukia sat down next to him. "No, it's not. And I'm not saying this to make you feel better. I truly believe that there was nothing you could do."

"Because I'm weak," Ichigo said bitterly.

Rukia shook her head. "On the contrary, you're quite strong for someone who's only been a Soul Reaper for a month. Urahara already thinks you're ready to activate your bankai."

"I thought I was, too. But after my fight with Ulquiosa, I'm not so sure anymore."

Rukia giggled. Ichigo flushed. "What's so funny?"

"You suck at remembering names. His name is Ulquiorra."

"Wonderful, I can't even remember the name of the guy that nearly killed me."

Ichigo lay down on his bed with his hands behind his head. "Rukia, I don't know if I can save Inoue. Hell, I don't even know if I should continue being a Soul Reaper."

"Why do you say that? You easily defeated a Hollow when you've never even held a zanpakuto before," Rukia said, recalling the night they met each other.

"That's different. I was fighting a Hollow. Ulquiorra…I don't know what he is, but he's definitely not a Hollow."

Rukia bit her lip. Why was Ichigo so upset? Rukia couldn't help but feel annoyed. "Ichigo, I don't know why, but you think the world revolves around you! You think that you're the cause of every good or bad thing going on, even when it has nothing to do with you!"

"I do NOT think that," Ichigo protested as he got up. "And of course it's my fault Orihime is gone! I was the only person who could fight Ulquiorra and I LOST! If I didn't, Tatsuki wouldn't have visited me just now!"

Rukia stood up and grabbed the collar of Ichigo's shirt. She slapped him across the face several times. "PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER! IF YOU REALLY THINK THAT INOUE IS GONE BECAUSE OF YOU, DON'T JUST WHINE ABOUT IT, DO SOMETHING! IF I WERE YOU, I WOULD HAVE GONE TO URAHARA AND ASKED HIM TO HELP ME ACTIVATE MY BANKAI!" Rukia panted. Her throat ached from the yelling.

Ichigo stared into Rukia's fiery eyes. "Rukia, I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're-"

"Ah-HA! I knew that there was someone in Ichigo's room!" Ichigo's father, Isshin, flung open the door. Karin and Yuzu stood behind him. "What a pretty lady friend you got there, eh Ichigo? Sorry to disturb you two." Isshin gave Ichigo a creepy look. Rukia immediately let go of Ichigo.

"Who is she? I've never seen her before," Yuzu said.

"I'm Kuchiki, Rukia. I'm a classmate of Ichigo."

"How did you get into the house? I don't remember anyone opening the door for you." Suspicion was written all over Karin's face.

Ichigo gave Rukia a nervous glance. How were they going to explain that Rukia was living in his closet?

"I climbed through the window," Rukia said. She pointed at Ichigo's window. Ichigo was glad that he left the window open last night.

Karin raised an eyebrow. "You climbed through nii-san's window?"

"Yes. I want to become a spy when I grow up. I figured that learning to climb through people's windows would be helpful." Ichigo stared at Rukia, dumbfounded. A spy? Who the hell would believe that?

"What an interesting career choice! I bet that you will become a great spy one day!" Isshin exclaimed.

"Why, thank you!"

Isshin beckoned Karin and Yuzu to follow him. "Come on girls, we can't disturb these two lovebirds."

"Wait, we're not-" Ichigo began. He stopped when Isshin closed the door.

"Thank kami that they didn't hear what we were saying!" Rukia leaned against the wall. "Now, what were you saying before they interrupted us?"

"Nothing," Ichigo lied. "I'm…going to go over to the Urahara Shop now."

Rukia grinned. "Glad to hear that you're taking my advice."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say." Ichigo and Rukia leaped out of the window. When their feet made contact with the ground, Ichigo said, "Rukia, arigato."

Rukia giggled as they walked to Urahara's. "That was unexpected."

"Well, you know what they say, always expect the unexpected."

"There's a loophole in that logic. If you expect the unexpected, wouldn't it become the expected? Then what you previously expected before would become the unexpected."

Ichigo laughed. "You're overthinking it."

"I'm being realistic." Rukia paused. "Oh Ichigo, by the way, you didn't have to thank me. I didn't really do anything special."

"Rukia, you stopped my rain. I think that's pretty impressive."

* * *

Orihime sat in her stone prison. The man had used a crystal ball to create a jail like room for her. The room was dark, no light entered it. Orihime could never tell the time. She wasn't sure how long she had been imprisoned. It was probably a few days, but to Orihime, it felt like a few years.  
Ulquiorra opened the door to her cell. "Here's your breakfast," Ulquiorra said, holding up a tray of food.

"I'm not hungry," Orihime said stubbornly.

"My master needs you to be alive. You WILL eat. If I see that your meal hasn't been touched in five minutes, I will force it down your throat. If you fight back, I will knock you out and just inject some vitamins into your blood system." Ulquiorra placed the tray on the floor and walked out. When the door was closed, Orihime sat on her bed and buried her face in her hands. Orihime sobbed. She wanted to go home. She wanted to see Kurosaki-kun and Tatsuki-chan and everyone else. But in order to keep her friends safe, she had to stay in her prison cell and come up with a plan. Slowly, Orihime picked up her tray and began to eat.

* * *

Ichigo was surprised to see Chad at the Urahara Shop. "Chad, you're here already?"

Chad nodded. "I have to train more to help rescue Inoue."

_IF YOU REALLY THINK THAT INOUE IS GONE BECAUSE OF YOU, DON'T JUST WHINE ABOUT IT, DO SOMETHING! _Ichigo stared at Chad. _Chad had nothing to do with Inoue's abduction, but he's still training hard in order to rescue her._ Ichigo smirked. "I'm going to train hard, too." Out of the corner of his eye, Ichigo saw Rukia smile.

"Not as hard as me!" Renji walked out of the shop, already wearing his kimono. "Once we battle each other, you're going to wish that you weren't a Soul Reaper!"

"Hey, that's my line!"

Rukia watched with amusement as Ichigo and Renji raced to the training area. "Those two are an interesting duo."

* * *

Day One

"Mastering bankai is one of the qualifications for becoming a captain of the Gotei 13," Yoruichi explained, "All of the current captains can perform bankai except for one. He doesn't even know the name of his zanpakuto. The only reason why he's captain is because of his raw strength."

Ichigo unsheathed his zanpakuto; Zangetsu.

"One's bankai is dependent on the zanpakuto's spirit. Achieving bankai can boost your strength five to ten times. However, it usually takes ten years to achieve bankai."

"TEN YEARS? I DON'T FUCKING HAVE TEN YEARS! INOUE COULD BE DEAD IN A WEEK!" Ichigo hollered.

"You're right," Yoruichi said calmly. "That's why you're going to take a little shortcut. It's a dangerous method, but you'll achieve your bankai in three days."

Yoruichi walked away and came back with a strange doll. "Meet Tenshintai. Tenshintai forces a zanpakuto's spirit to materialize. In order to achieve bankai, the materialization and submission of the spirit is required. Now, stab Tenshintai."

Ichigo stabbed the doll and his zanpakuto disappeared from Ichigo's hand. "Hello, Ichigo."

Ichigo turned around and saw the materialized Zangetsu standing behind him. "Hello, Zangetsu."

Yoruichi said, "Zangetsu, did you hear our conversation just now?"

Zangetsu nodded. "Ichigo wants to achieve bankai in three days."

"Yes, and you are going to choose the training method."

Zangetsu touched the ground and hundreds of zanpakutos rose from the ground. All of them looked similar to Zangetsu. "Only one of them is the real Zangetsu. In order to make me submit, you must stab me with the real one."

Zangetsu lunged at Ichigo. Quickly, Ichigo grabbed a zanpakuto and attempted to block Zangetsu's attack. The zanpakuto shattered from the impact and Ichigo fell. Before Zangetsu could attack again, Ichigo grabbed another one. This zanpakuto also shattered. "The real Zangetsu represents your will to fight," Zangetsu explained, "The fake ones represent your dependency on me. They are weak and brittle."

After about twenty zanpakutos, Ichigo was able to block Zangetsu's attacks without falling. _He's improving already,_ Yoruichi thought. _Kisuke was right about him._

After about fifty zanpakutos, Ichigo was exhausted. He could barely stand. "I think that's enough for today." Yoruichi ceased her maintenance over Zangetsu's materialization. Zangetsu reverted back to the Tenshintai. "Ichigo, there's a hot spring nearby that can heal your wounds. Once your wounds are healed, you may go home."

Groaning, Ichigo dragged himself over to the hot spring. He stripped down and saw a waterslide out of the corner of his eye. Grinning like an excited five year old, Ichigo slid down the slide and into the hot spring. The water wasn't too hot, and Ichigo felt his scars disappearing. "This is amazing!" Ichigo said to himself.

"I know, right." Ichigo jumped. Sitting on the other side of the hot spring were Renji and Chad.

"Don't be so scared, Ichigo. We're all guys," Renji jeered, "At least, I think you're a guy."

Ichigo responded by splashing Renji. Glaring at him, Renji splashed back and a splash war ensued between them.

"You two look like you're having fun. Mind if I join?" Yoruichi asked as she walked up to the hot spring. Ichigo and Renji flushed when Yoruichi began to untie her shirt. Chad just looked away.

"YES I DO MIND! DON'T TAKE OFF YOUR CLOTHES!" Ichigo protested.

Yoruichi laughed. "You're so prude."

* * *

"So how did your training go?" Rukia asked as she and Ichigo headed home.

"Tiring," Ichigo admitted, "But if it helps me achieve bankai, then I don't care. Hell, I'm willing to train even harder."

Rukia smiled. She would never admit it, but she admired Ichigo's persistence.

"How did your training go? Did you get your powers back yet?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia's smile faded away. "No, they haven't come back. I just worked on hand-to-hand combat." Ichigo pursed his lips. He didn't like seeing Rukia so…defeated.

"Don't be upset, Rukia, I'm sure they'll come back soon."

Rukia looked up at Ichigo. There it was again, that gentle look that Rukia loved and hated at the same time. She loved how the look comforted her. She hated how she didn't know why Ichigo gave her that look and why she loved it so much.

"I hope they do."

* * *

"My master wants you to wear this." Ulquiorra held up a white dress. It was actually kind of cute, but Orihime didn't want to wear it. "Wearing this dress will make it more difficult for you to use your Soul Reaper powers. My master can't have you escape, so you must wear it."

"And if I don't?"

"Then I will rip off your clothes and force this on you."

Reluctantly, Orihime grabbed the dress from Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra stepped out of her cell. "I will come back in five minutes to check on you. Make sure you're wearing that."

Once Ulquiorra was gone, Orihime changed out of her clothes and slipped on the dress. It was silky and surprisingly, it fit her perfectly. Orihime always had trouble finding something that fit because of her large breasts. _Too bad this isn't a normal dress, _Orihime thought.

Ulquiorra walked in. He eyed Orihime from head to toe. "It suits you."

Orihime said nothing.

Ulquiorra paced around Orihime. "I don't understand why you're so unhappy. You're given the necessities needed to survive."

Orihime was appalled by Ulquiorra's statement. "I'm being held captive by strangers. I'm constantly being threatened. My friends are possibly in danger. How could I be happy?"

"Why do you care for these so-called friends so much? They're not going to come for you."

"Kurosaki-kun and Kuchiki-san will come for me. I know they will!"

"Why on earth would they try to rescue you? They tried before and failed. Your precious Kurosaki-kun was mortally wounded. Unless they want to die, they will never come for you."

"They'll come because they want to save their friend!"

"Then they are fools. This lair is far from your home. They won't be able to find it. Assuming they do, I will kill them. I will blast them with my Cero. I will rip out their Hearts. You will watch the life fade away from your friends' eyes, knowing that this happened on your account. After they die, you will remain trapped in your prison until maggots infest your rotting body and-" Ulquiorra didn't get to finish. Orihime slapped him across the face. Orihime breathed hard. Her eyes clouded with tears. Ulquiorra stared at Orihime's face and slowly started to leave Orihime's room. Once Ulquiorra was gone, Orihime let the tears flow out.

* * *

There was shouting everywhere. Slowly, an elderly man stood up and silenced everyone.

"Where is Captain Ukitake?" He asked.

"Sleeping, he's not feeling well."

The man nodded at a short boy. "Captain Hitsugaya, report?"

Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya stood up. "Captain-Commander, everyone's spiritual pressure is slowly weakening. No one knows why."

A man with an eye patch stood up. "I swear I am going to KILL whoever is doing this to us!"

All of the captains began shouting again.

"WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?"

"THAT BASTARD IS GOING TO PAY!"

"SILENCE!" The Captain-Commander shouted. "Shouting does not solve problems. I want all of you and your lieutenants to investigate the Soul Society. Captain Hitsugaya, I want you to lead your squad to the human world. Urahara may know what's going on. Go, now!''

**Review please! This is my first fan fiction and I would like to know how I can improve it. Thank you! xoxo**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Day 2

Zangetsu created copies of himself. "Come at me, Ichigo," he said.

Ichigo smirked. "Don't go easy on me!"

Yoruichi watched as Ichigo lunged at the clones. His movements were much more graceful than before. _You are improving fast, Ichigo, maybe even too fast._

Someone walked up behind Yoruichi. She didn't have to turn to know that it was Urahara. "How is Ichigo's training going?" He asked.

"It's going well. Ichigo may be able to achieve bankai by tomorrow." Ichigo stabbed one of the clones. "Or maybe even today," Yoruichi added.

"His spiritual pressure is very impressive," Urahara said. He glanced back at Renji, who was struggling against his materialized zanpakuto spirit. "I've been trying to help Renji activate his bankai. Unfortunately, his spiritual pressure is fading, so I doubt he will succeed."

"Our spiritual pressure is fading, too," Yoruichi murmured. Suddenly, she sensed familiar spiritual pressures, ones that belonged to people she had not seen in years.

"You stay here and watch over their training," Urahara said. "I will greet our visitors."

* * *

"Captain Hitsugaya, do you think there's something wrong with my gigai? People kept staring at me." Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto looked down at her outfit, which was a tight shirt and short skirt. She didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

"Shut up, Matsumoto. We're here on a mission, not a fashion show," Toshiro Hitsugaya snapped.

"I know that, but I want to look good, too!"

"Just please stop talking, Matsumoto. We're here already." The two Soul Reapers stopped in front of the Urahara Shop. Kisuke Urahara opened the door for them.

"Long time no see!" Urahara said in a cheery voice.

"Urahara, we apologize for coming so suddenly, but there's a crisis in Seireitei," Toshiro said. "Everyone's spiritual pressure is weakening. Not too long ago, Matsumoto and I were nearly killed by a mere Hollow!"

"That's happening here, too," Urahara admitted.

Toshiro's turquoise eyes widened. "Urahara…I sense a strong spiritual pressure here. What are you hiding?"

Urahara beckoned Toshiro and Rangiku to follow him. Once they reached the training area, Toshiro saw an orange haired teenager stab someone. _His spiritual pressure is overwhelming. Who is he?_

"Ichigo, I need to borrow you for a moment," Urahara said. The teenager, Ichigo nodded and walked up to them. He stared at Toshiro. "Why is there an elementary school kid here?"

"Elementary…school?" Toshiro's eyes twitched as he balled his fists. Life was difficult being only 4'4. Toshiro was constantly mistaken for being in elementary school.

"What, are you not in grade school or something?" Ichigo asked. "Who are you anyway?"

"I am Hitsugaya Toshiro, the tenth division captain of the Gotei 13. I am also NOT IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!"

"Oh calm down Captain, there's no need to get so mad," Rangiku laughed. She nodded at Ichigo. "I am Matsumoto Rangiku. I am Hitsugaya's lieutenant. Who are you? I've never seen you before, and your spiritual pressure is so strong!"

"I'm Kurosaki Ichigo. I'm a human, but Rukia gave me Soul Reaper powers so I could help her fight Hollows."

"Kuchiki…gave you powers?" Toshiro and Rangiku exchanged an uncomfortable look. Transferring one's powers to a human was punishable by death.

"Yeah…is there something wrong?"

Urahara cleared his throat. "Sorry for not telling you earlier, Ichigo, but it's against the law for a Soul Reaper to give a human powers."

"Well, Rukia had a good reason to so there's nothing to worry about, right?"

"That's debatable," Urahara said.

"Where is Kuchiki anyway? I sense her and Abarai's presence," Toshiro said.

"We're right here." Renji, Rukia, Tessai, Chad, and Yoruichi walked up to them.

Rukia and Renji bowed. "Captain, Hitsugaya."

"Kuchiki, Abarai, your spiritual pressures are fading."

Ichigo was shocked. "What?!"

Toshiro ignored him. "Everyone in Seireitei is facing the same problem. Tell me, have you noticed anything suspicious?"

Rukia nodded. "Last week, a human girl was abducted by someone. He had a bone on his head like a Hollow, but he was much more powerful."

"What could he possibly want from a human?" Rangiku asked.

"That girl has a strong spiritual pressure. The truth is she was learning healing powers from Tessai."

Toshiro whirled on Urahara. "Urahara, explain!"

Urahara made a gesture at Ichigo. "My pupil Ichigo here had a strong spiritual pressure even before he met Rukia and Renji. Because of that, Rukia gave him some of her powers to help them defeat a Hollow. Of course, Ichigo must learn how to properly use his zanpakuto so he is training. In fact, he is attempting to activate his bankai."

Rangiku gasped. Toshiro's eyes widened even more. "Bankai? You can't be serious, Urahara. It takes ten years for a real Soul Reaper to achieve bankai, let alone a human."

"You achieved bankai in a couple of years. I don't see why anyone else can't," Urahara pointed out. "Anyways, Ichigo is not the only human training." He pointed to Chad. "His classmate, Sado Yasutora is also training. There was a girl, too. Her name is Inoue Orihime. As Rukia said before, she was kidnapped by this demon named Ulquiorra."

"This Ulquiorra person…could he potentially have something to do with our fading spiritual pressures?"

"We have strong suspicions," Yoruichi said.

Toshiro nodded. "Thank you. Matsumoto and I have to report this back to the Captain-Commander."

Rukia looked afraid. "Including the law I broke?"

"Rukia, there's nothing to worry about. You broke the law for a good reason." Ichigo assured her.

"I will report everything mentioned here," Toshiro clarified, "including Rukia's disobedient action. However, I will note that you had to."

"Thank you, Captain Hitsugaya."

Toshiro and Rangiku turned to leave. "We will be back."

* * *

Orihime lay on her bed and counted the all the dust particles flying in the air. She was sure that she had counted the same particle at least three times, but she didn't care. Orihime needed something to do. Someone walked into her cell. Orihime stood up, expecting to see Ulquiorra, but to her surprise, it was the man. Orihime wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed. The man flashed Orihime a sinister smile. "So, Orihime, tell me, how have you been?"

Orihime said nothing.

The man snickered. "I really hope you're enjoying yourself. You are an important guest after all." His gaze slowly moved down to her chest. "A beautiful guest, too."

"What do you want from Kurosaki-kun?"

"It's not _something_ I want from Ichigo. I just need him dead in order for my plans to work. I could easily go to Karakura and kill him, but I must stay hidden from the Gotei 13."

"Why are you so confident that he'll come?"

"You said so yourself. Ichigo wants to save his _friend_," the man sneered. He continued to stare at Orihime's breasts. "Are you bored, Orihime? Surely you must be. Would you like to do something fun?" He took a step forward.

Orihime immediately took a step back. "N-no, I don't want to." Her words still hung in the air when the man grabbed her and pinned Orihime down on the bed. Orihime screamed as he planted sharp kisses on her neck. "NO! PLEASE DON'T! I DON'T WANT TO I DON'T WANT TO I DON'T WANT TO!" Orihime thrashed around, desperately trying to free herself from the man's iron grip. The most Orihime could do was keep her lips away from his. She didn't want her first kiss to be like this. Her eyes clouded with tears. Just when Orihime was sure that she was going to lose her virginity, the door opened. Standing at the door with a tray of food in his hands was Ulquiorra. For the first time, Orihime was glad to see him.

"Ulquiorra, do you mind coming back later? We're a bit busy," the man said.

Ulquiorra stared at Orihime's pleading face. Ulquiorra forcefully pulled the man off of Orihime. "Here's your lunch, woman," he said in a monotone voice.

The man glared at Ulquiorra. "Ulquiorra, didn't I tell you to leave?"

"It is the prisoner's meal time. She must eat it at this time. No excuses."

The man snarled, "We will talk after Orihime has eaten her meal." Orihime flinched when the man stormed off and slammed the door shut. Ulquiorra glanced at Orihime. "Well woman, eat."

Orihime bit her lip. She couldn't stop the tears from flowing.

"Woman, why are you crying?" Ulquiorra demanded.

Orihime sobbed into her hands. All of a sudden, she felt a hand on her head. She looked up. Although his face betrayed no emotion, Ulquiorra had his hand on Orihime's head as if to comfort her. "There's no need to cry, woman. You're safe now."

'Safe' was a very inaccurate term, but Orihime couldn't help but feel grateful. _Arigato, Ulquiorra._

* * *

Ichigo and Rukia's walk home was silent until Ichigo asked, "Rukia, why didn't you tell me that your spiritual pressure was fading?"

"I thought you would notice," Rukia whispered.

"I…my spiritual pressure is unnaturally strong according to Urahara. I thought that the reason why yours seemed weaker was because mine was getting stronger."

Rukia ran her fingers through her hair without encountering a single knot. Ichigo felt a sudden urge to play with it.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" Rukia asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ichigo meant it. In what way was he looking at Rukia? Ichigo hoped he wasn't giving Rukia creeper looks.

"You…you keep looking at me like that."

"Like _what_?"

"Like _that_. I can't explain it Ichigo, but you look at me differently. Did I do something to you?"

Ichigo thought for a moment. "You did do something to me."

Rukia's eyes widened. "What did I do?"

"You changed my life."

Rukia didn't know how to respond to that. "What?"

Ichigo looked up at the orange sky. "You changed my life. If I never met you, I wouldn't have become a Soul Reaper."

"Is that good or bad?"

Ichigo looked back down at Rukia. His lips curled up. It took Rukia a moment to realize that Ichigo was smiling. "What do you think?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking."

"I'll let you think about it."

"Damn it, Ichigo! Stop being so…" Rukia's voice trailed off. She couldn't think of the right word to describe the orange head.

Ichigo changed the subject. "Rukia, if you lose all of your spiritual pressure, what will happen to you?"

Rukia hesitated. "I'm not completely sure," she admitted. "I used to think that I might end up turning into a human. But even humans have a miniscule amount of spiritual pressure. I could end up becoming nothing."

"Become…nothing?" Ichigo's voice cracked.

"We're home," Rukia said. The two of them leaped through Ichigo's window. Ichigo and Rukia stiffened, because standing in Ichigo's room were Isshin, Karin, and Yuzu. Yuzu held up the pajamas Rukia stole from her.

"Ichigo, would you like to explain why your friend is living in your closet?" Isshin gave him a stern look.

"I'm sorry," Rukia said. She bowed. "The truth is my parents disowned me. For a long time, I wandered around the streets alone. No one showed any hospitality. Then I met Ichigo. Ichigo pitied me and decided to let me live in his closet." When Rukia straightened herself, Ichigo saw tears streaming down her face. Ichigo stopped his mouth from dropping. Rukia's acting was surprisingly believable.

Isshin and Yuzu sniffled. "What a sad life you've had, Rukia. Would you like to continue living in our house? You can sleep in the guest room."

Karin face palmed. "Dad, you embarrass me. You actually believe her? Nii-san, why is she really here?"

"You heard Rukia, Karin! She's had a tough life. Be more compassionate!" Ichigo snapped.

"Your brother's right, Karin. Show some more sympathy." Isshin chided. He beckoned Rukia to follow him. "I'll take you to the guest room."

"Arigato," Rukia said. She smiled briefly at Ichigo. Ichigo didn't need to be told that Rukia was going to sneak into his closet in the middle of the night.

* * *

The Urahara Shop was peaceful. Not a single creak was heard when someone turned in their bed. The shop wasn't too hot or too cold. It was dark, but not in an eerie way. The darkness was soothing. Everyone was so deep in their sleep that Renji was able to sneak into the training area. Renji was determined to train. Ichigo, who had only been a Soul Reaper for a month, was already trying to achieve bankai. Renji had been a Soul Reaper for many years and was never told to activate his bankai. Renji gritted his teeth. Why was Ichigo improving so quickly?

Renji heard footsteps lurking around in the shadows. Most people would have scared to hear footsteps at night, but Renji wasn't. He knew it was Chad. Both of them secretly trained in the middle of the night.

"Pssst, Chad," Renji hissed.

Chad stepped out of the shadows. "Hey, Renji, do you think we can spar without waking anyone up? I would like to work on hand-to-hand combat."

Chad was wearing his kimono and his brown hair covered his eyes. He looked like Chad, but Renji sensed something odd about him. Since when did Chad say so much at a time? Renji unsheathed his zanpakuto.

"Howl, Zabimar-"

Chad grabbed Renji's face and his world was taken over by darkness.

* * *

Toshiro speed walked through the hallway. He had to report back to the Captain-Commander.

"Shiro-chan, you're back already?" Toshiro's heart started beating fast. One of Toshiro's pet peeves was not being called 'Captain.' He usually yelled at people who refused to call him the title he worked so hard to get. The only person who could get away with it was Lieutenant Momo Hinamori, Toshiro's childhood friend and secret crush.

Momo matched her pace with his. "Shiro-chan, I thought your investigation would take a lot longer!"

"Are you upset I'm back so soon?" Toshiro teased.

"N-no I didn't mean it that way! I'm just surprised. Did you find the person behind all of this?"

"No, we did not," Toshiro admitted. "But I did find some valuable information."

"What is it?"

"Well, Kuchiki gave half of her powers to a human."

Momo's eyes grew to the size of golf balls. "Why?"

"She struggled against a Hollow and had to…"

In the far away cave, the man snickered as he stared into his crystal ball. Toshiro was telling "Momo" everything. Unknown to Toshiro was the fact that the REAL Momo Hinamori was still out investigating with her division. The man knew that the young captain's only weakness was his dear Momo. By creating a clone of her, the man could spy on the Gotei 13 without using the crystal ball. He could now concentrate on Ichigo.

* * *

Ulquiorra walked into Orihime's room with a tray of food. Orihime gasped when she saw him. Ulquiorra's jacket was stained with brick red blood.

"W-what happened to you?"

"My master was furious with me for disturbing you two. This was my punishment." Ulquiorra placed Orihime's dinner on her bed-side table. "Eat," he commanded.

Orihime ignored his order. She walked up to Ulquiorra and placed her hand on his shoulder. Ulquiorra's wince was barely noticeable, but Orihime felt it. "You're still hurt," she murmured.

"I'm fine. Now, eat."

"I'll eat after I heal you," Orihime said. Even though Ulquiorra kidnapped her, even though he nearly killed Kurosaki-kun, even though he threatened her on a regular basis, Orihime couldn't let him suffer. She was not that kind of person. Besides, she owed Ulquiorra for saving her.

"I told you I'm fine, woman. Now eat or I'll ask my master to resume what you two were doing."

Orihime ignored his threat. "Please, let me heal you." Carefully, Orihime unzipped Ulquiorra's jacket halfway down. Despite being slender, Ulquiorra was muscular. Orihime swallowed. Ugly gashes crisscrossed Ulquiorra's arms, shoulders, and torso. How could anyone do something so cruel?

"I-I can't guarantee you'll be healed because I only trained for a few weeks and my dress is supressing my spiritual pressure, but I'll do my best," Orihime said. "I reject." Her hands glowed as she began to heal Ulquiorra's wounds.

Ulquiorra stared at Orihime. The woman's brow furrowed with intense concentration. Ulquiorra was confused. "Woman, why are you helping me? We are enemies. If I were you, I would've let myself suffer."

"You saved me today. I'm healing you so that I would no longer be in debt," Orihime said. "And I can't watch people suffer and do nothing about it, no matter how badly they've treated me."

"You are foolish," Ulquiorra muttered.

"Say what you want, I don't care." Orihime's face lit up when Ulquiorra's scars disappeared. "I…I don't believe it, I healed you!"

Ulquiorra zipped his jacket back up. "Thank you, woman. Now eat your meal!"

Ulquiorra hurried out of Orihime's cell. He put his hand on the shoulder she touched.

Heartless Ulquiorra _felt_ something.

**Review please! This is my first fan fiction and I would like to know how I can improve it. Thank you! xoxo**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Ichigo, Chad and Rukia were shocked to find Renji lying in his bed, unconscious.

"What happened to Renji?" Rukia's voice shook. She and Renji were childhood friends. If Renji died, Rukia didn't know what she would do.

Urahara shook his head. "Tessai just found him unconscious in the training area. We think he was trying to train while everyone was sleeping. You see, this is why people say it's dangerous to go out alone at night."

"This isn't a joke, Urahara! Renji's spiritual pressure…I can't sense it!" Rukia fell onto her knees. _I can't sense it_.

Ichigo placed his hand on Rukia's shoulder. "I don't know what happened, but whoever did this to Renji will pay!" As much as he didn't like the cocky red head, Ichigo wished that Renji would be OK.

Yoruichi walked into the room in her cat form. "There's definitely a connection between this and everyone's fading spiritual pressures. I wish I could say that Renji just lost all of his first, but it happened too suddenly. I think the enemy is getting impatient."

"I'm getting impatient, too," Ichigo said. "Yoruichi, Urahara, there's no time to train. I think we have to go save Inoue now."

"Ichigo, baka!" Rukia exclaimed. "You haven't achieved bankai, yet. Do you really think you're ready to fight Ulquiorra?

"I don't know, but we don't have time. We have to go now!"

Chad grunted, as if to agree with Ichigo.

Urahara said, "Ichigo is right. We don't have much time. The three of you should start searching for Orihime. Yoruichi and I will stay here with Renji."

"What do you think will happen to him?" Rukia asked.

Yoruichi replied, "Humans have a tiny bit of spiritual pressure that allows them to feel paranoia. Renji will probably just be a human who can't be paranoid. Now go!"

* * *

"This is where Ulquiorra and I fought," Ichigo said as he, Chad, and Rukia walked through the woods. "I think that if we just keep going straight, we'll find Inoue and kick Ulquiorra's ass."

"I still don't think this is a good idea," Rukia said. "It would've been better to go after you achieved bankai."

"We'll be fine," Ichigo assured her.

Rukia was unconvinced. How would Ichigo fight Ulquiorra? How could she fight when her spiritual pressure was fading away?

Her stomach growled. Ichigo took a rice ball and juice box out of Chad's backpack. They figured that it would take them some time to track down Inoue, so Chad packed some food. "Here," Ichigo offered it to Rukia.

Rukia beamed as she accepted the snacks. Her violet eyes lit up when she bit into the rice ball. "Yuzu is a culinary goddess."

"She is," Ichigo agreed. "That's why she's been cooking our meals ever since…" his voice trailed off. Ichigo's gaze became distant.

_Ever since my mother died_, Rukia knew that was what Ichigo was going to say but didn't. She didn't know too much about Ichigo's mother except for the fact that she passed away about a year ago.

Rukia swallowed the last mouthful of her rice ball and poked a hole in her juice box. She quickly changed the subject. "Hey I never had passion berry juice before. Does it taste good?"

Ichigo smiled. "Yeah, it's actually my favorite."

Rukia took a sip. "I can see why. It tastes really good."

The man chortled as Ichigo and Rukia discussed about juice. Here they were, taking a trip to their demise, and they were talking about juice.

"Ulquiorra, when our guests arrive, let me handle with the guest of honor," the man said.

"I will, master," Ulquiorra said. "But what will happen to the woman?"

The man's lip curled into a sneer. "You care about Orihime, don't you?"

"I care nothing about her. I'm just asking if she's supposed to die as well."

The man pondered about this for a moment. "If Orihime interferes with our plans, kill her. Otherwise, she's free to go after Ichigo dies. Tell her this now."

Ulquiorra nodded and walked to Orihime's cell.

When he opened the door, he saw Orihime lying down on the bed with her eyes closed. At first, Ulquiorra thought Orihime was dead until she turned and lay on her side. The blanket fell off as she moved. Ulquiorra studied Orihime's face. She looked so peaceful even though she was being held captive against her will. _If Orihime interferes with our plans, kill her. _His master's words rang through Ulquiorra's head. Killing Orihime would be effortless. The girl was so weak. All he had to do was reach out and crush her fragile throat...

Yet, something about the girl's face compelled Ulquiorra to protect her.

Ulquiorra picked up Orihime's blanket and tucked her in.

* * *

"_Ichigo…Ichigo…" Masaki gave Ichigo a warm smile. "I've missed you Ichigo."_

"_I've missed you too," Ichigo murmured. _

_Masaki took Ichigo's hand and suddenly, he was a little kid, a kid who lost every spar against Tatsuki, a kid who was bullied for his oddly colored hair. Masaki had always been there for Ichigo. His world used to revolve around Masaki._

_Masaki's smile faded. Cuts slashed across her face. Brick red blood spurted out of her chest. Her life slipped out of her eyes. _

_She was dying and there was nothing Ichigo could do about it._

"Ichigo, are you alright?"

Ichigo woke up to the sound of her voice; Rukia's voice. When he opened his eyes, Rukia was sitting over him with a concerned look in her eyes. The stars twinkled behind her. Groaning, Ichigo sat up.

"Ichigo, what were you dreaming about? You…kept saying 'mother.'"

Ichigo gazed at the moon, which was partially hidden behind trees. "Rukia, you know that my mother is dead, right?"

Rukia bit her lip and nodded.

Ichigo continued, "My world revolved around her. Every time I got back home from school, she would greet me and I would instantly get happy, no matter how upset I was. Then one day, I came back home and she wasn't there. I wouldn't have worried about it if not for the blood that was all over the floor." Ichigo paused. It was painful to talk about it. "The police searched for her, but they couldn't find a single trace. They gave up and we had a funeral for her."

"I'm so sorry, Ichigo," Rukia whispered.

Ichigo glanced back at Rukia. "Don't be. It wasn't your fault."

Rukia hesitated. "I also know what it's like to lose a loved one."

"Rukia, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"No, I want to! I haven't talked about it with anyone, not even Renji. This pain inside is killing me and I want to let it out." Rukia took a deep breath. "I had a close friend named Shiba Kaien. He was a lieutenant of the Gotei 13. Kaien taught me so many important things when I was training to become a Soul Reaper. I admired him a lot. He was very kind, respectful, and easy going. Everyone liked him. One day, I was on a mission with Kaien. We had to kill a powerful Hollow. The Hollow gave me hallucinations. I thought that Kaien was the Hollow so…so…" Tears pricked Rukia's eyes. "I murdered Kaien."

Ichigo wrapped his arms around Rukia and brought her close to him. Rukia was surprised at Ichigo's gesture. She continued, "Ichigo, the truth is, you resemble Kaien. You have the same hair and face. The only difference is that Kaien's hair and eyes were black."

Ichigo said nothing. He wondered how painful it must have been for Rukia to realize that she killed her friend, how painful it was to meet his look-a-like.

Rukia was crying softly now. Once her tears were reduced to sniffles, Ichigo said, "Rukia, are you feeling better?"

Rukia pulled away from Ichigo. "I think I do feel a little better. Thanks for listening, Ichigo."

"No problem, Rukia. Thanks for listening to me too."

There was a moment of silence between them. Rukia mumbled a good night and fell asleep on a patch of grass. The moonlight shone on Rukia's face. Ichigo suddenly wanted to hug her again, to touch her moonlit cheek.

Ichigo slapped his forehead. _What the hell has gotten into you, Ichigo?_

As Ichigo lay back down, a new thought struck him like lightning. _Does Rukia only like me because I look like Kaien?_

* * *

"I think that the enemy is hiding in the human world," the Captain-Commander said. Murmurs of agreement rippled through the captains and lieutenants.

Captain Kenpachi Zaraki stood up. "We should all go to the human world and DESTROY him!"

Kenpachi's three foot tall lieutenant, Yachiru, climbed onto his shoulder. "Ken-ken is so violent!" She squeaked.

"Captain Zaraki, I agree that all of us should go. Our lack of spiritual pressure makes battling more difficult. All of the Soul Reapers in Seireitei need to fight together. However, we must not be so reckless and charge into battle like you usually do. We'll discuss this tomorrow. All of you may leave."

Toshiro yawned as he stood up. He couldn't wait to go to bed. Toshiro had always believed that the more a person slept, the faster they'd grow.

"Shiro-chan, who do you think the enemy is?" Momo asked.

"A coward we don't know," Toshiro said.

Momo hesitated. "Do you think it's possible that one of the captains or lieutenants is behind all of this?"

Toshiro stared at Momo. Did his kind and trusting Momo seriously just ask that? "Of course not! Who gave you that idea? Was it Aizen?" Aizen was Momo's captain. She worshipped him.

"No, just wondering," Momo murmured. Her tone became more lively and upbeat, "Goodnight Shiro-chan!" She patted Toshiro's head and skipped away.

Toshiro's eyes narrowed. There was something different about Momo. Rangiku walked up to Toshiro with a bottle of sake in her hand.

"Capppptttaaaaiinnnn, look what I have!" Rangiku slurred.

"Matsumoto! Don't tell me you were drinking during the meeting!"

Rangiku laughed. "Of course I wasn't captain! I'm not that disrespectful. I just was pretending to be drunk to annoy you. Anyway, I'm probably not going to sleep in our room tonight. I'm going out with Shuhei and Shunsui." She winked. "Maybe you can ask Hinamori to sleep with you tonight."

Toshiro blushed at that last comment. "Matsumoto, why do adults drink?"

"Because it's fun, captain!" Shunsui and Shuhei came up behind Rangiku. Rangiku linked arms with them. "Good night, captain!"

Toshiro sighed as his lieutenant marched off with her drinking buddies.

Someone poked Toshiro's back. It was Momo. "Hey Shiro-chan!"

"Hinamori! I thought you went to bed already?"

Momo looked perplexed. "What are you talking about? I just got back from my investigation with Captain Aizen."

"You…just got back…" Realization dawned on Toshiro. Toshiro grabbed Momo's hand and flash stepped to her room. When he opened the door, no one was there. The curtains swayed from the wind rushing through an opened window.

"Shiro-chan, what's wrong?" Momo asked, still confused.

"Hinamori, I think the enemy knows our plans."

* * *

Urahara woke up to the sound of footsteps. Someone stood over the unconscious Renji with a knife in his hand. Urahara's eyes widened when he recognized the person. "Chad? What are you doing?"

Chad grinned. It wasn't a kind one. Urahara realized that this person was not the real Chad. "Oh I see now. You're the one who took Renji's spiritual pressure. That's not very nice. Why would you do that? Who are you anyway?"

"You do not know who I am, but you do know my creator."

"Who is your creator?"

"Does the name Koriyama Hayate ring a bell?"

Urahara's eyes widened even more. "Hayate is behind all of this? I thought he was dead."

"Oh he is as alive as you are and he wants revenge." The fake Chad cackled. "It was nice talking to you, Kisuke. We should chat some more later. Assuming you're still alive, of course." He flash stepped to some unknown place.

Yoruichi slid out of the shadows. She was in her human form now. "Kisuke, do you believe that Hayate is the cause of this?"

"Hayate has a genius level IQ. I think that he could easily create something that absorbs everyone's spiritual pressure."

Yoruichi looked grim. "Ichigo is in danger, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is. We all are."

* * *

Koriyama Hayate raised the crystal ball up to eye level. It glowed and several bodies in the lab transformed into human like Hollows, similar to Ulquiorra.

"Your name will be Nelliel Tu Odelschwank…you will be Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez…you will be Tier Harribel…Coyote Starrk…Nnoitra Gilga…Yammy Llargo…"

Once he named all of his new creations, the man called Ulquiorra in.

"Yes, master?"

"Ulquiorra, I want you to educate your new friends. They must be prepared for war."

**Review please! This is my first fan fiction and I would like to know how I can improve it. Thank you! xoxo**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Renji woke up with a terrible migraine. "Uh, what happened?" He groaned.

Urahara said, "Someone stole all of your spiritual pressure."

Renji sat up. A wave of pain shot through his head. "WHAT?!"

"Hey it's not my fault that you snuck into the training area."

"C-Chad that bastard, where is he? He's the one that knocked me out!"

Urahara shook his head. "No, it wasn't Chad. It was a clone of him."

Renji thought about that night. Chad _was_ acting weird. "OK so maybe it wasn't actually Chad. Where is he anyway?"

"Chad, Ichigo, and Rukia left to go save Orihime."

It took Renji a moment to process Urahara's statement. "They…left without me?" Urahara nodded.

"WHAT THE FUCK?! WHY WOULD THEY LEAVE WITHOUT ME? THERE'S NO WAY THEY CAN FIGHT ULQUIORRA AND EXPECT TO WIN WITHOUT ME! ICHIGO HASN'T EVEN ACHIEVED BANKAI YET! Ugh…" Renji touched his aching forehead.

"You are in no condition to fight, my friend," Urahara said calmly. "You've lost all of your spiritual pressure. You're a human now."

_You're a human. _The words cut deeper than any wound Renji ever received. "Is there any chance that I'll get my spiritual pressure back?"

"I don't know," Urahara admitted. "I don't even know how this happened."

Renji's heart sank. "Do you at least have an idea?"

Urahara hesitated. "No. I'm sorry Renji." He walked out of Renji's room.

Renji narrowed his eyes. There was something shady about Urahara. He pushed the thought away. As sketchy as the former Soul Reaper was, he wasn't evil.

Renji lay down on his bed. "I am a human now,"" he said to himself. Suddenly, Renji saw Rukia's smiling face. _Rukia…_

He remembered the first time he met her. Renji grew up in the poverty stricken town of Inuzuri. In order to survive, Renji and his friends had to steal.

"_Come on guys, run faster! He's gaining on us!" Renji cried. One of Renji's friends, Touta, tripped. Renji stopped running. "Touta get up!"_

_But Touta was weak from starvation. He couldn't get up. Just when Renji was sure that Touta was going to get caught, a small figure raced by. A girl with black hair and violet eyes tripped the man and stomped on his head several times, knocking him out. She helped Touta up. "Come on guys, run!"_

_When they reached their hideout, Renji gave the girl a small bag of candy. "Thanks for helping us back there. I'm Renji, what's your name?"_

"_Rukia," the girl said. She opened the bag and took out a star shaped candy. She studied it. 'What is this?"_

"_It's candy. You've never had candy before?"_

_Rukia shook her head. Just before she was going to try it, a little boy began crying. The little boy was crying because he dropped his bag of candy. An older boy sneered at him, "Don't be such a crybaby. It's your fault that you refused to share with me." He raised his hand and curled it up into a fist. He was going to punch the little boy. Rukia punched the guy in the gut. As he doubled over, Rukia kneed him in the face. "Everyone here is hungry! You shouldn't force anyone to give you food. That's not how you treat people!"_

_Renji gaped as Rukia gave the little boy her candy and ran out of the house. Renji chased after her. She was nowhere to be found._

"_Hey Renji, up here!" Renji looked up and saw Rukia sitting on a tree branch. She grinned at him and Renji blushed._

Ever since that day, Renji and Rukia became close friends. They became Soul Reapers together in order to escape from their life in Inuzuri.

Now, Rukia was leaving him behind. And there was a chance that she would leave his life forever. Renji started hyperventilating. He couldn't imagine life without her. He…he _loved _her.

"RUKIA…!"

* * *

Rukia glanced at Ichigo. When he returned her gaze, she quickly looked away. Ever since last night, Rukia found it awkward to be around Ichigo. Well, maybe not awkward but Rukia knew she felt differently about Ichigo. She wasn't sure what the feeling was.

"Hey, Rukia, are you OK? You keep looking at me," Ichigo said.

"I'm fine," Rukia lied. She smiled to emphasize her point.

Ichigo was incredulous. "Right…"

Ichigo stared ahead. "I think we should move faster. Walking would take too long."

"Are you suggesting that we should run?"

"Yeah that's exactly what I'm saying." Ichigo smirked. "Why? You can't run or something? You scared that you'll get left behind?"

"Want to bet?" Rukia challenged. "We'll run a mile. Just saying, I'm a fast runner. I can out speed you in my sleep!"

"Hey that's my line!"

Ichigo and Rukia sprinted. Chad ran after them with a smile on his face.

Since Ichigo was in his Soul Reaper form, he left Rukia way behind.

With sweat glistening on their cheeks, Ichigo said proudly, "I beat you."

"The only reason why you beat me was because I'm in a gigai. If I was in my Soul Reaper form, I would beat you."

Ichigo sneezed. "Did I ever tell you that I'm allergic to bullshit?"

"Chad, help me here. Ichigo wasn't _that_ fast, right?"

Chad shrugged. "You two both run fast."

"I'm faster!" Ichigo and Rukia exclaimed in unison.

Rukia changed the subject. "Anyways, how long do you think it will take to find Orihime?"

"If we keep running, then soon," Ichigo said. "Plus, it would be a good work out."

Rukia hesitated. "Ichigo, do you truly think that you can beat Ulquiorra?"

"Why do you keep asking that?"

"I'm concerned about your safety! It was a miracle that you didn't die last time. What makes you think that you can beat him?"

Ichigo bristled. "I don't need you worrying about me! Worry about yourself, Rukia! You haven't regained your Soul Reaper powers. In fact, you're losing your spiritual pressure this very second! Besides, if I don't go then who would save Inoue? Imagine yourself as the damsel in distress."

"If I was in Orihime's shoes I wouldn't want you to come save me! I'd want you to be safe, not risk your life for me!"

"Wow, you really don't understand this concept."

"What concept?"

"The rescuer will always go save the rescuee no matter what!"

"What if the rescuee didn't want to be rescued?"

"Why would they not want to be rescued? You have such a strange way of thinking. I'm tired of hearing all this bullshit. From this point on, all of your opinion are rejected!"

"Reject a girl's opinions? That's not very gentleman like!"

"Shut up! The rejectee doesn't get to complain. Know your place woman!'"

"You're not the boss of me!"

As Ichigo and Rukia continued to argue, Chad couldn't help but think that they sounded like a married couple.

* * *

"Here is your lunch," Ulquiorra said and handed Orihime a tray of food. Orihime sat down and was about to bite into a rice ball when she noticed that Ulquiorra was still in the room._ That's strange,_ Orihime thought, _Ulquiorra usually leaves right after I get my food._

"Um, Ulquiorra, I'm not saying that I don't enjoy your company but, why are you still here?"

"To make sure you eat all of your food."

"But…you usually just leave."

"Do you want me to leave?"

Orihime hesitated. "I'll take your silence as a 'no,'" Ulquiorra said.

Orihime slowly ate her lunch. She felt self-conscious with Ulquiorra staring at her. To make the silence less awkward, Orihime asked, "So Ulquiorra, what's up?"

Ulquiorra seemed confused by her question. "The ceiling, obviously."

Orihime giggled. "No, I meant, what's going on in your life?"

"My master created others just like me."

Orihime's eyes widened. "W-why?"

"In order for his plans to work, he needs an army. They're training at this very moment." Ulquiorra leaned forward so his face was close to Orihime's. She blushed. "Are you afraid for your friends, woman? Not only do they have to face me, they also must face my comrades."

"Why do you enjoy doing this?" Orihime asked. "Why do you enjoy hurting people?"

"I do not enjoy violence. I only fight when necessary."

"You don't have to fight," Orihime said. "You don't have to follow your master's orders. He's not even your master. You're not a slave, Ulquiorra. You can be better than this."

"Better than what?"

Orihime looked down. For some reason, she was unable to look into his brilliant green eyes. "You…you're being used like some sort of killing machine. I don't know what you are, but I know that you're not a machine."

"How would you know?"

"You protected me from your master. You comforted me while I cried. If you were a machine, you wouldn't have done that."

"I didn't protect you because I wanted to. It was your meal time. I didn't 'comfort' you out of pity. I just wanted you to stop crying because the sound irks me."

Orihime stared into Ulquiorra's eyes, desperately searching for a hint of dishonesty. Ulquiorra was either an impeccable liar or he really didn't care about Orihime. "Do you really mean that?"

Uncertainty flashed through Ulquiorra's eyes so quickly that Orihime wasn't sure if she imagined it. "Yes, I really do mean that."

Ulquiorra began to walk out of Orihime's room. Before he left, Orihime said, "Ulquiorra I know that you have a heart somewhere in your body!"

Ulquiorra stopped. "A Heart…?"

Orihime nodded vigorously. "My sixth sense is telling me that you have a heart."

Ulquiorra stood there silently for a moment before walking out of Orihime's room.

Orihime took a sip of water. Ulquiorra had a heart, and she was determined to make him see that.

* * *

"Do not charge recklessly! If you do not have a strategy, you will face imminent death!" Ulquiorra watched as Grimjoww and Nnoitra clashed with each other. All of the Espada (Master had decided that their kind needed a name) were training in a section of the cave that Master had created for them. The Espada were strong, but they had trouble remaining calm during battle.

As the Espada trained, Ulquiorra thought about the woman. _My sixth sense is telling me that you have a heart. _Ulquiorra wondered how she could possibly say that. He was designed to kill, not to feel Emotion. Ulquiorra didn't have a Heart. What was a Heart anyway? He knew that humans needed one in order to survive, but the woman talked about it as if it were something else…

Ulquiorra pushed the thought away or at least tried to. For some reason, Ulquiorra couldn't forget that determined face she was making.

Someone screamed.

Ulquiorra turned around and saw Nelliel running away from Yammy. "Nelliel, you must not flee from a battle!" Ulquiorra scolded.

"Yammy was twying to wip my arm off! He shouldn't be allowed to do that! This isn't a weal battle!"

Ulquiorra scolded Yammy. "Yammy, it's good that you're so enthusiastic to fight, but you shouldn't try to kill anyone during training sessions. What if we get ambushed and all of us are impaired?"

"Sorry," he muttered and walked away.

Nelliel spit on her scratches. When Ulquiorra raised his eyebrow, she said, "Whenever I fondle my thwoat penis, I make spit that has healing powas."

Ulquiorra sighed as Nelliel skipped away. The Espada irritated him.

* * *

Hayate observed the Espada's training through the crystal ball. They were progressing fast.

The crystal ball pulsed, indicating that it had absorbed more spiritual pressure. Hayate grinned. It would be so much easier to take over Earth and the Soul Society with everyone losing their spiritual pressure. The only obstacle was Ichigo. Every time the crystal ball swallowed up more spiritual pressure, Ichigo's spiritual pressure went up as well. Luckily, Hayate knew why.

Hayate cackled. It would be fun to see the life disappear from Ichigo's eyes.

"Master, I am back."

"Welcome back Momo-ni, tell me what you have learned."

"The Gotei 13 plans to go to Karakura. They know a battle is approaching."

"Good. With all of the Soul Reapers in one area, we can kill all of them at once."

**Review please! This is my first fan fiction and I would like to know how I can improve it. Thank you! xoxo**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Arisawa Tatsuki sprinted to Ichigo's house. For the past three days, Ichigo, Rukia, Renji and even Chad haven't gone to school. Orihime was still missing.

Tatsuki bit her lip. The metallic taste of blood hit her mouth. What the hell was going on? Why did Ichigo say that knowing would be dangerous?

Tatsuki knocked on Ichigo's door. Yuzu opened it. "Tatsuki-chan, are you here to see Ichi-nii? I'm sorry but he's not home."

"Do you know where he is?"

Yuzu shrugged. "Three days ago, Ichi-nii told me to make a bunch of rice balls. After he got them, he just left."

Karin appeared behind Yuzu. "Nii-san is with that Rukia girl. I know he is!"

Tatsuki nodded. "Rukia hasn't been at school either. He's definitely with her."

"I don't like Rukia," Karin said. "There's something suspicious about her. For the past month, she was sleeping in nii-san's closet!"

"She…was sleeping in Ichigo's closet?" Tatsuki was surprised. Ichigo was always shy around girls. Did Ichigo really change that much?

"She was disowned by her parents and had nowhere to live," Yuzu explained.

Karin rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you and father actually fell for that."

"I…I have to go now. Thanks," Tatsuki said. She ran home. Anger flared through her. What was Ichigo doing?

Out of the corner of her eye, Tatsuki saw a small child get hit by a car. Tatsuki didn't stop running. She knew it was a ghost.

* * *

Hayate bursted into laughter. "What did you just ask, Ulquiorra?"

"The woman has been locked inside without a single ray of sunlight. May I take her out on a walk? We won't go far and the woman will never be able to escape from me."

"Ulquiorra Cifer cares about someone? What a knee-slapper."

"I do not care about that foolish girl. It just seems immoral to restrict a person so much."

"What would YOU know about morality? You are an Espada, a demon. Demons do not think the same way as humans. Demons are heartless creatures that can never feel the storm of emotions that thunder in humans!" Hayate sighed. "If you want to take Orihime out, go ahead. Make sure you come back with her."

Ulquiorra bowed. "Arigato, Master."

As he walked to her room, Ulquiorra contemplated Master's words. _Demons are heartless creatures that can never feel the storm of emotions that thunder in humans._

Master was correct. Ulquiorra had no Heart. Why did Orihime think he did?

Ulquiorra opened her door. "Woman, you have been granted permission to walk outside though, I must accompany you."

Orihime didn't smile, but something glowed in her eyes.

* * *

Orihime hummed with her hands behind her back. She swayed a little as she walked. Ulquiorra found this strange. "Woman, we are simply going on a walk. Your friends are not here and soon you will be back in your lonely prison cell. Why are you so content?"

"I haven't been outside in over a week. It's nice to finally hear the birds chirping, see the sun shining, and breath fresh air."

"Fresh air? It's not like the air inside is tainted."

"Yeah but it smells like dust. Outside, I can taste the grass and the flowers."

Orihime suddenly stopped. "Ulquiorra, you stepped on a flower! Can you be more careful next time?"

Ulquiorra looked back. Behind his feet was a crushed, tiny blue flower. Orihime kneeled down next to it. Yellow light glowed from her hands. She was healing it.

"Woman, why would you waste your powers on a flower?" Ulquiorra asked.

"I can't just let it die! Imagine how tall it can grow to be." Orihime beamed as the flower began to stand once more. She stood up and touched the blue flower pin in her hair. For a moment, Orihime seemed upset, as if a she had just remembered something painful. The Emotion disappeared quickly. "Shall we keep going?"

"Woman, why are you wearing that pin? Isn't that something for a child to wear?"

"I-I guess it is, but this pin is very important to me."

Ulquiorra wondered how a pin could be so significant. "Does it strengthen your powers?"

"No, my brother gave it to me."

"You have a brother?"

"I did," Orihime murmured. "My parents were drunks. When my brother, Sora, was old enough to live alone, he and I moved to Karakura. Sora was like the father I never had. He took care of me and protected me. He gave me this flower pin one day. I didn't like it at first because you're right, it is for children. I refused to wear it and I hurt my brother's feelings. The next day, he died in a car accident. Now I'm alone living off the money my relatives send me. They stop sending if my grades slip though." Orihime touched her flower pin. "I wear this pin every day in memory of Sora."

Shining crystals of sadness rolled down her cheeks. _Tears_ they were called. Ulquiorra didn't understand why. A tear was a rip, a bloody wound. Drops of water weren't bloody wounds. Was crying the eyes' version of bleeding? What was the cause of crying? The Heart?

Ulquiorra cupped Orihime's cheeks and wiped her tears away with his thumbs. Orihime's cheeks reddened.

"What is a Heart?" Ulquiorra asked.

Orihime stared into Ulquiorra's eyes. "A heart is something that makes people love."

"What is Love?"

Orihime thought hard. "When a person is willing to sacrifice something for another, that is love."

"I risk my life to aid Master carry out his plans. Would that be considered Love?"

"Does your master make you smile? If not, then that is loyalty, not love."

"I don't smile for anyone."

"Why not? Smiling is a wonderful thing to do. It makes you feel better. Laughing does too."

Ulquiorra let go of Orihime. "Woman, I will never understand you. Now, let's go back." He walked back to the cave. Orihime noticed Ulquiorra avoid the flower he had stepped on.

Orihime smiled.

* * *

"Hey, Renji, that box doesn't go over there," Jinta said. The Urahara Shop was being restocked and Urahara had asked Renji to help Jinta and Ururu move the boxes in.

"Like hell I care," Renji mumbled. Nevertheless, he picked up the box and followed Jinta inside.

Once the last box was brought in, Urahara said, "Renji, I know you're frustrated, but have faith in Ichigo."

"I should be the one helping Rukia!" Renji snapped. He punched the wall. "Urahara please tell me, do you have any idea what's going on?"

Urahara sat down beside Renji and whispered, "The Captain Commander wanted it to be confidential…"

"Wanted what to be confidential?"

"The reason why Tessai and I were banished."

* * *

The Hollow screeched and clawed at Ichigo. Ichigo dodged and slashed the Hollow's arm off with his shikai. Before the Hollow could react, Ichigo slashed down on its head. He watched as the Hollow burst.

"Now that that's over, we can resume our journey," Ichigo said.

Rukia frowned. Ichigo was the only one who fought the Hollow. She and Chad could do nothing but stand there and watch. Rukia hated feeling useless.

"Rukia, is there something wrong?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia quickly smiled. "No, just disappointed that I couldn't join in on the action."

Chad grunted in agreement.

"Don't be disappointed. You'll have plenty of opportunities to fight.

Rukia thought about her deteriorating spiritual pressure. _I hope I do._

Ichigo, Chad, and Rukia began running again. This time, Ichigo slowed down so that Rukia wouldn't fall behind.

As they ran, Rukia couldn't help but glance at Ichigo. His brown eyes flickered with glee. Kaien used to have that same expression when he ran.

_"You're too hesitant with your attacks. You're lucky that this is just training. If you do that in battle, you could get yourself killed. However, being too impulsive is just as dangerous," Kaien said._

_Rukia nodded and charged at Kaien. Her Sode no Shirayuki, clashed with Kaien's Nejibana. Quickly, Rukia drew back and stabbed the ground. "Juhaku!"_

_Kaien's feet were frozen solid. Rukia pointed Sode no Shirayuki at him. "Better?" She asked._

_"Better. Now can you unfreeze me? I want to run."_

_Rukia obeyed Kaien. Once the ice thawed out, Kaien and Rukia raced into the forrest._

_Rukia glanced at Kaien. Euphoria glittered in his eyes like stars in the night sky. Rukia was so mesmerized that she didn't notice the tree until it was too late._

* * *

"As you know, I was the captain of the 12th division and Tessai was captain of the Kido Corps. We were good friends back then. We still are. We're willing to risk everything for each other. Tessai was banished because he tried to help me."

"Help you with what?" Renji asked.

"I founded the Soul Reaper Research and Development Institute with Captain Kurotsuchi and a Soul Reaper named Koriyama Hayate. Hayate and I wondered if it was possible to bring back the dead."

"Bring back the dead? Isn't that illegal?"

"It is illegal. Hayate and I were aware of that, but we foolishly believed that we were invincible and good will come out of our research. Of course, the Gotei 13 found out. The captains were ordered to apprehend us. Hayate and I ran. Tessai defended me."

"And you were caught and banished," Renji said.

Urahara nodded. "We were all banished to the World of the Living. Tessai and I stayed together and opened this shop. Hayate, however, left. I never saw him again. I assumed he was dead."

"And now he's sucking our spiritual pressure like leeches," Renji spat.

"Yes he is. I believe that he's figured out how to revive people. I don't know how and I don't know what his motives are. I think he wants revenge on the Gotei 13."

Renji stood up. A battle was coming and he needed to be ready even if he lost all of his spiritual pressure. Before he walked out, he asked, "Urahara, why did Yoruichi leave Seireitei?"

"She left because she no longer wanted to be a Soul Reaper." Urahara grinned. "And I guess she just couldn't bear the idea of not seeing my handsome face everyday."

* * *

The Espada trained 24/7.

Nnoitra Gilga, a 7 foot tall Espada, pointed his finger at his opponent, Nelliel. "Cero."

A yellow light shot from the tip of his finger. Nelliel opened her mouth and swallowed the attack. She fired the Cero right back at Nnoitra, but at a much stronger force. Nelliel let out an exasperated sigh as Nnoitra dodged clumsily.

"If you can't dodge my Cero Doble without falling, how can you survive in a battle against a Soul Reaper? Do you want me to help you work on that?"

"You know what Nelliel? I'm fucking tired of you acting like you're my superior."

Ulquiorra sighed as the two Espada bickered. All of the Espada didn't get along with each other. Hell, none of them could even agree on the weather.

"Ulquiorra." Grimmjow pointed his zanpakuto at him. "I want to fight you now. I'm ready."

"You've only trained for a few days. What do you mean you're ready?"

"So? I haven't seen you train at all. I think I can beat you."

"Tsk, foolish," Ulquiorra muttered. "My spiritual pressure is too high. Releasing Murcielago could destroy this place."

"Yeah and you wouldn't want all the rubble to come crashing down on that woman." Grimmjow turned around.

"Where are you going?" Ulquiorra asked.

"There's something I'd like to take care of," Grimmjow mumbled and walked away.

* * *

A man walked into Orihime's room. He had light blue hair and eyes. Under his eyes were green lines that resembled the eye markings on a Panthera genus of cats.

"Did you enjoy the romantic stroll with Ulquiorra?" The guy sneered.

"Um, who are you?" Orihime asked.

"I am Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. I'm an Espada just like your friend with benefits."

"F-friend with benefits?"

Grimmjow pinned Orihime against the wall. She flinched when her back slammed against the stone and sent jolts up her spine. "Listen very closely, woman. I don't know what you intend to do with Ulquiorra, but if you betray him, betray us, I will kill you without hesitation. "

"I don't plan on doing anything to Ulquiorra," Orihime whimpered. "C-can you please let me go?" Grimmjow's nails were like a cat's claws digging into her shoulders.

"Beg for mercy." Grimmjow sunk his nails into Orihime's skin, drawing out blood. Without thinking, Orihime raised her hands and a glowing yellow shield appeared between Orihime and Grimmjow, causing him to let go and stumble back. Santen Kesshun, the move was called. Yoruichi and Tessai had taught Orihime this defensive technique.

A psychotic grin spread across Grimmjow's face. "Looks like you got some fighting spirit, woman. But do you really think that lousy technique will save you?"

With cat like speed, he slapped Orihime across the face and sent her reeling. The pain blinded Orihime briefly. Grimmjow grabbed her arm and dug something sharp into it. She cried as Grimmjow dragged his zanpakuto down her arm. He didn't use enough force to do serious damage, but it was enough to torture.

"Grimmjow, what are you doing?!"

Orihime beamed when she recognized the voice. "U-ulquiorra!"

Grimmjow immediately released Orihime and sheathed his zanpakuto. "What are you doing here? It's not her dinner time."

"I heard her cries," Ulquiorra said.

"So? Why does it matter to you what happens to this bitch?"

"It doesn't matter to me, but I think it matters to Master."

Grimmjow cursed under his breath and stalked out of Orihime's room.

"Woman, are you alright?" Ulquiorra asked.

Orihime examined the long scratch on her arm. It stung, but it wasn't deep. "I'm fine. Thank you, Ulquiorra. You…saved me again."

"I didn't _save_ you," Ulquiorra corrected her. "Master just wants you to stay alive. I didn't do it for you."

Orihime lowered her head. Ulquiorra's words stung more than the scratch. "W-why do you keep acting like this?" She barely whispered.

"Acting like what?"

Orihime looked up at Ulquiorra. "You act as if you don't care about anything! I know you have a heart Ulquiorra. Why don't you show it?"

"How can I show something I don't have?"

"You do have a heart!"

"Why do you think I have a Heart? I'm not a Human! I'm an Espada. Espadas don't have Hearts!"

That shut Orihime up.

* * *

Hayate's eyes narrowed. In front of him stood a Chad look-a-like.

"Huh? I don't remember making you," Hayate said. With a flick of his hand, the Chad doppelgänger faded.

Hayate stretched his arms and yawned. "Time to go to bed," he mumbled sleepily and walked to his bedroom.

As soon as he left, the crystal ball glowed and the Chad doppelgänger appeared.

**Review please! This is my first fan fiction and I would like to know how I can improve it. Thank you! xoxo**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"What I'm trying to say is that you should be more respectful of other people's sleep schedule!" Rukia exclaimed.

"It's not my fault I had trouble sleeping last night! What I don't understand is how you could sleep so much with everything that's going on!" Ichigo snapped.

"Soul Reapers need sleep just as much as humans do. I know that the sooner we find Inoue the better, but you shouldn't wake me up so violently!"

"I didn't wake you up violently!"

"You shook me a lot!"

"That's because you refused to get up!"

"It's not my fault I enjoy sleeping!"

"Maybe not, but it's your fault for having no self control."

"No self control?! I bet I have more self control than you do!"

"Then why don't you see my oversleeping?"

"Because you don't like sleeping! None of your points are valid."

Ichigo raised his hands. "I'm done, ok? I just can't take this anymore. We're wasting too much time. Inoue could be dying at this very moment."

Rukia sighed. "You're right. This argument is stupid, but can you at least promise to respect my sleeping schedule more?"

"I'll have to think about that." Ichigo nodded at Chad who had patiently waited for them. "Sorry about that, Chad. We're ready to go now."

The three Soul Reapers continued their journey. Rukia had not fully woken up, so they were walking this time. Moving at a relatively slow pace allowed everyone to enjoy their surroundings. The forrest was dense and a swift glance would catch nothing but trees, trees, and more trees. However, if one took the time to look around (most people did not), they would see the sunlight peeking through the leaves. They would see the pretty blue flowers that sprouted from the ground. They would see small birds flying from tree to tree. They would see the adorable squirrel nibbling on an acorn, pricking its ears in an attempt to detect predators. It may not seem much, but the forrest was peaceful.

Rukia's eyes lit up like those of a child visiting Disney World for the first time. She tugged Ichigo's sleeve. "Look Ichigo, Chad, a rabbit!"

Rukia pointed to a fluffy bunny sitting near a bush. Its button nose twitched. Rukia fangirled inside. She had a rabbit obsession.

Ichigo noticed the excited look on her face. "Don't freak out, Rukia. I heard that if you scare a rabbit and make its heart beat too fast, it would die."

Eyes widening, Rukia said, "That's so sad!"

Her gaze was still glued to the rabbit. Slowly, Ichigo crept up behind the rabbit. It was either deaf or tame because it refused to flee. Gently, Ichigo scooped up the rabbit and carried it to Rukia. The smile on her face was huge.

"Don't freak out," Ichigo said and carefully gave it to Rukia.

"You are the cutest thing ever," Rukia cooed and scratched the rabbit behind its ears. Chad pet the rabbit's head. Despite his appearance, Chad had a soft spot for cute animals.

"I think it's time to put the rabbit down," Ichigo said. "We have to go now."

Rukia nodded and crouched down. She giggled when the rabbit hopped out of her arms and into a bush.

She stood up and looked up at Ichigo. "Arigato, Ichigo. That was probably the best minute of my life."

Ichigo scratched his head. "It wasn't that hard really. Anyone could have done it."

"Maybe so, but this is the first time I've held a real rabbit. I have to say, I'm not disappointed."

"Good, because if it was disappointing, I'd have to find another rabbit for you."

* * *

Toshiro stared blankly at the paper in front of him, and then at the pile of files next to it. Usually, Toshiro was able to work diligently. Being a captain meant no slacking off and if Toshiro finished his work early, he could get more sleep in and grow faster. Toshiro's eye twitched as he recalled the countless times he was mistaken to be a grade schooler. The worst one was the time Matsumoto took him to the hot springs.

_"I'm sorry but kids aren't allowed to go alone."_

_"That's fine! He can bathe with me."_

No one expected Toshiro to be six feet tall. After all, he was physically thirteen years old. But having the height of an eight year old was embarrassing.

Toshiro sighed and tucked the paper into a folder. He couldn't concentrate. His mind was still on the Hinamori poser. The enemy knew about the Gotei 13's plans…and it was because of him. How did Toshiro not know that she wasn't the real Hinamori? He had known her ever since childhood. Toshiro knew her better than anyone. How could he have not realized?

Someone knocked on his door.

"Good morning, Shiro-chan!" Hinamori walked into Toshiro's room with her hands behind her back.

"Good morning," Toshiro said.

"I have a present for you, Shiro-chan." Hinamori winked. "Can you guess what it is?"

"No," Toshiro said. "I'm busy now, Hinamori, can you visit me later?"

Hinamori took out a small bag. "I got you amanatto. If I remembered correctly, amanatto is your favorite along with watermelon."

Toshiro blushed. Amanatto _was_ his favorite. "Arigato, Hinamori. Um, I have a lot of paperwork to do so you can just put it on the desk-"

"Shiro-chan, I know you're worried," Hinamori murmured. "I am too. Scared is probably a more accurate term. Lieutenants have to be brave, but I'm scared."

"Don't be scared, Hinamori," Toshiro said gently. "Whatever is going on, I'm sure that it will all end soon."

"I hope it does. I don't want anyone to lose all of their spiritual pressure. I don't want anyone to get hurt."

Without thinking, Toshiro took Hinamori's hand. Hinamori blinked at him. Flushing, Toshiro quickly let go. "S-sorry, Hinamori."

"No, it's ok Toshiro. I…can you hold my hand? I need someone…"

Toshiro got up from his chair and walked around his desk to Hinamori's side. He held her warm hand.

Toshiro could feel Hinamori's spiritual pressure leaking out of her. He closed his eyes.

Toshiro was going to kill whoever was doing this to her.

* * *

Momo-ni stared into the crystal ball, carefully watching Toshiro and Momo. Envy was written all over her face.

Hayate grinned deviously. "You want that, don't you?"

"Want what?" Momo-ni barely heard his question. She was focused on Toshiro and Momo.

"You want someone to care about you…understand you…_cherish_ you."

"Yes, I would like that."

"Even though he's short, Toshiro is pretty easy on the eyes, don't you agree? He's also very strong. He can protect you."

"Yes he's very handsome and strong," Momo-ni agreed.

"Despite his cold disposition, he's very kind. Whenever you are sad like Momo is now, he will be there to comfort you."

"Yes, yes he will."

"And you can have Toshiro all to yourself," Hayate said.

Momo-ni's eyes clouded with greed. "What do I have to do?"

"As you can see, the one Toshiro cares about the most is the _real_ Hinamori Momo. Because she is in his life, Toshiro could never care for you, a copy."

"So I have to get rid of the real one."

"Yes you will have to kill her. Then, you can be with Toshiro. In fact, you can become the true Lieutenant Hinamori Momo."

"I deserve that title more than that bitch does," Momo-ni spat.

"You deserve much more than she does," Hayate said. "Because you are stronger."

"I am stronger."

Ulquiorra closed his eyes as he eavesdropped on their conversation. Master was manipulating Momo-ni. She had always been willing to follow his orders, but Master's words would now motivate Momo-ni to battle the Gotei 13 even more.

"Ulquiorra, I know you're here. Come out," Hayate said.

Ulquiorra stepped away from the rock he was standing behind.

"Ulquiorra, how is the training going? Is everyone ready for battle?"

"I suppose they are but it wouldn't hurt for them to train more."

"Yes yes it wouldn't. I don't want them to die in battle so make sure this extra training is extra difficult."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to fight them."

Ulquiorra bowed and walked to the training area. As expected, everyone was training

"I need all of your attention," Ulquiorra said.

"What the hell do you want?" Grimmjow demanded.

"Master wants to take the training to the next level. All of you must fight me one at a time. Remember, we're not fighting to kill. You just have to disarm me," Ulquiorra said.

"I'm going first!" Grimmjow exclaimed.

"We're going in order of creation."

"So that means I'm first," Nelliel said.

"No, you were the first one to be named, but not the first to be created. I believe the first was Starrk. Starrk, prepare yourself."

"Oh joy," Starrk said unenthusiastically. "And here I thought that I could finally take a break."

"Starrk, don't be so lazy!" His other half, Lilynette Gingerbuck scolded.

Starrk and Lilynette were an interesting duo. Instead of using a zanpakuto, Starrk used Lilynette to seal his power.

"Starrk, you can make the first move," Ulquiorra said.

Coyote sighed. "Los Lobos, kick about."

A blue light engulfed Starrk and Lilynette. When it faded away, Lilynette had transformed into two pistols. Starrk's attire changed as well. A gray fur lined jacket was draped over Starrk's white vest. His legs were covered by gray knee high fur leggings and black, skin-tight pants.

Starrk pointed his pistols at Ulquiorra. "Cero Metralleta."

A powerful barrage of blue Ceros fired at Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra dodged just in time. The other Espada leaped back as the Ceros blasted the cave wall. Despite being the laziest Espada, Starrk was one of the strongest. His Ceros were larger and faster than everyone else's, including Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra pointed at Starrk. "Cero."

His green Cero fired from the tip of his finger and struck Starrk. Luckily for Starrk, Ulquiorra didn't fire with full power.

Starrk was thrown backwards and slammed against the wall. He coughed as he got up. "Looks like I'm done. Now I can go take a nap."

Lilynette transformed back into her Espada form. "Starrk! You lost on purpose so that you could sleep, didn't you?!"

"I did try at first, but I got tired after the first few Ceros were shot."

"Starrk!"

Ulquiorra turned to the other Espada. "Who's next?"

"I am," Grimmjow said. He hadn't even finished talking when he fired his Cero and Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra easily dodged.

Grinning manically, Grimmjow lunged and sent a flurry of kicks and punches at Ulquiorra. As Ulquiorra dodged some and blocked some, Ulquiorra analyzed his movements. Grimmjow's attacks were destructive but random. Grimmjow was being too impulsive.

Ulquiorra also noticed that Grimmjow was kicking with his left leg more than his right. Could the right leg be injured?

Grimmjow lifted up his right leg and aimed a kick. Ulquiorra hit his right ankle with a swift uppercut. Grimmjow groaned as he body flipped backwards. With his right leg up, he looked like a soccer player about to kick a ball in the air.

Grimmjow landed on the cold, stone floor on his stomach. He raised his head.

Ulquiorra unsheathed his zanpakuto, Murcielago, and tucked the tip of it underneath Grimmjow's chin.

"I won, Grimmjow. Next."

Grimmjow cursed under his breath as he limped to the sidelines. He was favoring his right leg.

Although Ulquiorra won, Ulquiorra couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable. Unlike Starrk, Grimmjow was energetic and destructive.

Defeating him had been too easy.

* * *

"Get the door, Ururu. Someone's outside," Jinta said.

Ururu Tsumugiya obediently followed Jinta's orders. Although Jinta had a good heart, he bullied Ururu and made her do all the work. Ururu didn't mind too much, but she still occasionally wondered why Jinta always picked on her. Was it because she was the only person at the Urahara Shop that was his age?

Ururu opened the door. She was surprised to see Chad. "Chad-san, you're back already? Where's everyone else?"

"I decided to come back here on my own. I have some business to take care of."

"Some…business?"

Chad grinned. It wasn't a kind smile. There was something cruel about it.

Quick as a mouse, Chad grabbed Ururu's face. Ururu flailed her arms, desperately trying to free herself from Chad's grip. Chad's hand was like a sponge. It was absorbing her spiritual pressure. Suddenly, Chad stopped taking her spiritual pressure. Ururu ripped Chad's hand off of her face.

"Are you OK Ururu?" Urahara asked. His zanpakuto, Benihime, was sticking out of Chad's bleeding throat. Urahara pulled Benihime out.

Renji, Jinta, Tessai, and Yoruichi's head poked out behind Urahara. Renji glared at Chad's corpse, which was now fading away.

"Hey, Urahara, is that the fucker that stole all of my spiritual pressure?"

Urahara nodded. "Yes and it almost took Ururu's."

"Kisuke-san, what's going on?" Ururu asked.

"Be careful who you talk to from now on, Ururu," Urahara said. "The enemy can make clones of your trusted ones. Also, be ready to fight."

Ururu nodded slowly, still not fully comprehending what was going on.

"Ururu, are you OK?" Jinta asked.

"I'm fine I think. Thanks for asking."

* * *

"There's still a lot of controversy about the Gotei 13 going to the World of the Living," the Captain-Commander Yamamoto said. "The enemy challenged us to a battle. He said to meet him and his army in two days at Karakura Town. This enemy may be our strongest opponent yet which is why everyone must go, but I don't like the idea of leaving Seireitei unguarded especially with the chance that the enemy is actually in the Soul Society, and I'm not the only one. I think we should just all take a vote. Whichever side wins, wins. The other side doesn't get to complain."

"With all due respect, but I don't think a simple vote is a good idea to make such an important decision," Captain Sosuke Aizen said. "Humans vote for their leaders and look where it got them."

"Shut up Aizen, what other method is there?" Captain Sajin Komamura snapped.

"Alright, no more talking!" Yamamoto ordered. "The voting begins now. All in favor of staying in the Soul Society, raise your hand!"

Toshiro thought hard. Was the enemy really in the Human World? The abduction of the human girl was suspicious, but what if that criminal wasn't the real threat?

Toshiro glanced at his fellow captains. Soi Fon of the 2nd Division, Kaname Tosen of the 9th Division, and Aizen had their hands raised.

"All in favor of going to World of the Living, raise your hand."

Toshiro took a deep breath and raised his hand. The nine captains that did not already vote raised their hands as well.

"It's decided. The Gotei 13 is going to the Human World."

"B-but…" Soi Fon began.

"I already said that the other side doesn't get to complain, Captain Soi Fon, do not disobey me. Now, all of you must prepare your division to depart."

Toshiro trudged out of the meeting room. Hinamori stood outside.

"What did the Captain-Commander say, Shiro-chan?"

"We're going to the World of the Living."

Hinamori looked startled for a moment, but she nodded slowly. She understood.

* * *

When Ulquiorra walked into Orihime's room, he saw her sitting in front of the wall and scratching it with a sharp rock. Orihime turned around and smiled. "I'm drawing right now."

Ulquiorra sat down beside her. The scratching left white marks that resembled chalk. The lines formed a flower. There was nothing special about it. In spite of that, he said, "It's quite good."

"Thank you!" Orihime offered Ulquiorra the rock. "Do you want to draw something?"

Ulquiorra had no intentions of drawing silly pictures, but Orihime seemed so happy…

Ulquiorra took the rock and scratched. Unlike Orihime's simple doodle, Ulquiorra's picture was detailed and more complex.

Orihime's eyes widened. "Oh my…"

Ulquiorra had scratched an image of Orihime's face. The drawing was nearly identical to the real thing.

"U-Ulquiorra, that's amazing!" Orihime then mused, "The drawing actually looks better than me."

"Nonsense, it looks like you. If one is more attractive than the other, then the real one is definitely the winner."

Orihime blushed. "T-thank you."

The door swung open. It crashed into the wall with a loud thud.

"Ulquiorra, the Master is having a meeting right now," Grimmjow said. "So get your ass over to the main chamber now!" He paused. "Word of advice, Ulquiorra, if you're going to draw a portrait, have the model naked."

Orihime's cheeks reddened even more.

Ulquiorra stood up and slowly walked out. Grimmjow glared at Orihime before shutting the door. Orihime stared at the door. She wondered what the meeting was about. _Probably about Kurosaki-kun._ Kurosaki-kun! Orihime had nearly forgotten about him. Guilt swallowed her up. Knowing Kurosaki-kun, he was risking his life to find her. How could she not think about him? Now that Orihime thought about it, her heart wasn't fluttering. Prior to befriending Ulquiorra, Orihime would get excited thinking about the orange head.

_Do I not love him anymore?_ Orihime wondered.

_Do I love Ulquiorra now?_

* * *

"The most important moment in our lives is coming," Hayate said.

Murmurs rippled through the Espada. Ulquiorra said nothing. He knew what Master was going to say.

"In a couple of days, all of us will invade Karakura Town and battle the Gotei 13. I know for a fact that they'll be there because I sent them a message."

Ulquiorra was right.

"All of you must work extra hard to make sure your power matches those of a Captain's. I doubt that will be difficult since their spiritual pressure is weakening. I expect them to be killed off easily." Hayate's eyes flashed dramatically. "If any of you chicken out or show mercy, you will be executed. Got that?"

All of the Espada except Ulquiorra nodded. Ulquiorra recalled Master's words. _If Orihime interferes with our plans, kill her._

Knowing Orihime, she was going to assist her friends no matter how hopeless the situation was for them.

That would mean Ulquiorra would have to kill her.

And Ulquiorra didn't want to.

**Review please! This is my first fan fiction and I would like to know how I can improve it. Thank you! xoxo**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

BRRINGG!

Tatsuki swung her backpack over her shoulder and handed in her test. She glanced worriedly at the four empty desks. Orihime, Ichigo, Chad, and Rukia were still missing. When she asked Renji if he knew where they were, he simply said no. Tatsuki sighed and got up from her seat.

"Hey, Tatsuki!" Keigo Asano said. "Wanna walk home with me and Mizuiro?"

"Sure."

"Yo, what did you think of the test?" Keigo asked as they walked out of the school.

"I thought it was OK. There were a few hard questions."

"A few hard questions?! That test was the hardest shit ever!"

"Asano-san, you should really study more if you want to do well on tests," Mizuiro said.

"You're one to talk!" Keigo snapped. "And stop being so formal!"

"Just because I didn't get into the top fifty last time doesn't mean I don't study."

"What did you guys get for the last question? I got this weird fraction…"

"Fraction? I got eight," Tatsuki said.

"I did too," Mizuiro said.

"Shit! Ugh, Ichigo and Chad are lucky that they weren't in school today. Then again, if they did take it they would get into the top thirty."

"Do you guys know where they are?" Tatsuki asked. "And Orihime and Rukia."

Keigo and Mizuiro shook their heads.

"Do you think they're all right?" Mizuiro asked.

"I don't know. I went to Orihime's house about two weeks ago and she wasn't home. A few days ago, I went to Ichigo's house and Yuzu said he just…left."

Keigo's eyes widened. "Do you think that maybe Ichigo, Chad, Orihime, and Rukia ran off to have an orgy or something?"

"Ew Keigo no!" Tatsuki smacked Keigo's head. "Having sex is the last thing Ichigo and Orihime would do. Same goes for Chad and possibly Rukia."

"Then maybe they eloped! Ichigo ran off with Rukia and Chad ran off with Orihime!"

"Asano-san, Chad and Orihime barely talk to each other. Plus, it's obvious that Orihime likes Ichigo. Why would they elope?"

"Eek stop addressing me so formally!"

Tatsuki stopped walking. A chill crawled up her spine like a spider. Tatsuki nervously ran her fingers through her short, boyish hair. She sensed something bad.

Keigo and Mizuiro seemed to sense something as well.

Keigo swallowed. "Is it just me or-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence. The street exploded, sending dust and rocks everywhere. Several people screamed.

"AIEEE!" Keigo shrieked and fell backwards.

Tatsuki trembled. A black monster crawled out of the hole the explosion left. It roared and clawed a nearby house. More people screamed but did not seem to notice the monster. _Is it an evil spirit?_ Tatsuki thought.

"Holy fuck what the hell is that?!" Keigo exclaimed.

"I-I don't know," Mizuiro sputtered.

Tatsuki gawked at the two boys. "You two can see it?"

Keigo looked confused. "How the hell could we not see it? It's huge!"

The world became dark. Tatsuki realized it was because the monster was standing right in front of them.

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM US!" Keigo screamed.

"Asano-san, don't provoke it!" Mizuiro said.

The monster screeched and extended its arm. It was trying to grab one of them!

Tatsuki jumped up and brought her foot down on the monster's head. It cried and backed away. Tatsuki was a black belt in karate. In fact, she was ranked the second strongest girl in Japan in her age group.

The monster cried in agony as...a sword? was dragged up through its head. It disappeared.

What shocked Tatsuki even more than the monster was the person who killed it.

It was Kisuke Urahara, the owner of the Urahara Shop. Renji flanked him.

"You guys OK?" Urahara asked. He sheathed his sword.

"Are we OK? ARE WE OK?! WE NEARLY GOT KILLED!" Keigo shouted.

"Well you weren't, so I'm asking if you're OK," Urahara said calmly.

"Wait, you guys saw the Hollow?" Renji asked.

"They did," Urahara said.

Tatsuki's mind was an ocean of questions. "What's a Hollow? Why didn't anyone but us see it? Who are you people? Where's Orihime? Where's Ichigo? Where's Chad? Where's Rukia? Are they OK?"

"Whoa whoa whoa, slow down," Urahara said.

"OK, what's a Hollow?"

"The thing I just killed."

"…Alright. Why didn't anyone but us see it?"

"You know, Asians have small eyes so-"

"Don't give me that crap! Answer the question!"

"You three are special."

"Special? Are you saying we're retarded?" Keigo exclaimed.

"Asano-san, I believe he means that we're different."

"You three _are_ different. You have the ability to see spirits. Hollows are spirits." Urahara turned to Renji. "It's time to head back now, Renji."

Renji put his hands in his pockets. He and Urahara started to walk away.

"Wait!" Tatsuki reached out for them. "Can you at least tell me where Ichigo and Orihime are?"

Urahara and Renji didn't stop walking. "Sorry miss, we truly do not know," Urahara said.

Tatsuki heart sank. She ran home.

"Tatsuki, wait!" Keigo began to follow her, but Mizuiro pulled him back.

* * *

Nelliel Tu Odelschwank blew a few strands of her green-blue hair away from her face. Just seeing him exasperated her.

"Nelliel, I challenge you to a fight," Nnoitra Gilga snarled.

"Nnoitra, don't you have more important things to do? Like watch porn or something?"

"Didn't you hear Master? We have to train even more!"

"Go fight someone on your level, Nnoitra."

Nnoitra's lip curled, revealing his large upper teeth. "Am I not worthy enough to fight you?"

"I only fight warriors and you are not a warrior."

"Then what am I?"

"A barbarian. You have no honor, Nnoitra. But if you insist on fighting me, then I will."

Nnoitra licked his lips. Even in the dim cave Nelliel could see its pointy tip. With his tall, lanky body and thin eyes that curved upward, he reminded Nelliel of a snake.

Nnoitra charged. His zanpakuto, which looked like two crescent moons, flashed as it was brought down on Nelliel. Nelliel quickly pulled out her zanpakuto, Gamuza, and blocked Nnoitra's attack. She pushed with Gamuza and sent Nnoitra back.

Nelliel charged and slashed Nnoitra's chest. Blood spurted out. If this was a real battle and Nelliel was actually trying, the wound could've been fatal.

Nnoitra swung his zanpakuto at Nelliel. She jumped up and gracefully spun in the air before kicking the side of Nnoitra's head. Nnoitra slammed through a protruding rock, sending dust everywhere. Nnoitra frantically turned around, desperately searching for Nelliel.

"Over here," Nelliel whispered.

Nnoitra whirled and was met with a punch to the face. Nnoitra was thrown backwards.

_He's so weak_, Nelliel thought.

When Nnoitra regained his balance, he stuck out his pointy tongue. A yellow Cero shot out from it.

Calmly, Nelliel placed her hand up and stopped the blast.

Nnoitra's eyes widened. _What the hell?_

Nelliel opened her mouth and swallowed up the blast. She spat the Cero back at Nnoitra. This move was her special technique, her Cero Doble. Nnoitra always seemed to forget about it.

Nnoitra groaned as he was hit by the Cero and crashed into the cave wall. Dust flew everywhere. Once the dust cleared up, Nelliel saw Nnoitra writhing on the ground in anger.

"Why why WHY?! Why is a girl stronger than me?!"

Ignoring Nnoitra's cries, Nelliel walked away. She sensed the other Espada watching them.

"Hey Nelliel, aren't you going to finish me off? This fight wasn't meant for training!" Nnoitra shouted.

Nelliel stopped and glanced back at Nnoitra. "I prefer not to kill the weak," she said coldly.

Nnoitra's face contorted with rage.

Nelliel continued to walk away. Although she wouldn't admit it, she actually preferred not to fight at all. She disliked violence. She planned to only resort to violence if it was out of self-defense or protecting a loved one, which she had none of. Nelliel loathed the other Espada. Starrk and Lilynette were nice, but Nelliel barely had time to bond with them. Besides, Starrk and Lilynette seemed fine only having each other.

Tier Harribel, another female Espada, was good hearted, but her cold stare and voice intimidated Nelliel.

Then there was Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra wasn't violent and he was intelligent. Unfortunately, the only one Ulquiorra seemed to care about was the prisoner.

Nelliel sighed. Perhaps it was better to think about making friends after the battle with the Gotei 13.

* * *

Someone shoved their fist down Coyote Starrk's throat. He didn't need to open his eyes to know that it was Lilynette Gingerbuck.

"Starrk! Right now isn't the time to be napping!" Lilynette's pink eye flashed irritably. Starrk was sure her other eye was doing to same but he couldn't know for sure since it was covered by a bone mask. All of the Espada had some sort of remnants of a bone mask. Starrk's "mask" was a fanged bottom jaw which he wore around his neck like a collar.

Lilynette took Starrk's arm and helped him up. "Starrk, a huge battle is coming. I know you're strong, but training couldn't hurt."

"Lilynette, I'm tired. We train 24/7. Why can't I take a short nap?"

"Because you're always taking breaks! Come on Starrk, how about you take a nap after training?"

"Oh, and when is that?"

"How about half an hour."

Starrk sighed. "Fine."

"Hey Starrk, watch out!" Yammy Llargo said.

Starrk ducked and avoided a punch from the massive Yammy.

"Hey Yammy, be more careful next time!" Lilynette scolded.

"It's not my fault that Mila Rose dodged my attack!"

"Well, you should have stopped yourself."

Yammy glared at Lilynette. He looked like he was about to rip her head off. Knowing Yammy, he was probably going to. Starrk prepared himself to shield Lilynette. Master had said that while creating him, a piece of Starrk broke off and formed into Lilynette. Maybe it was because Lilynette was his other half or maybe because Lilynette looked like a little girl, whatever the reason Starrk thought of Lilynette as a little sister.

Starrk hated violence, but whoever messed with his little sister was going to pay.

* * *

"A cop pulled over someone and said, 'How high are you?' The driver said 'No it's hi, how are you?'" Ichigo said.

Chad chucked quietly. In contrast, Rukia was cracking up.

"Human humor is so bad but so funny," Rukia laughed

Ichigo smiled. "Here's a bad one: What is green and has wheels?"

"A green car."

"No, grass. I lied about the wheels."

Rukia put her hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing. She failed. "Why do I find these crappy jokes so amusing?"

"Bad jokes are better than funny ones," Ichigo said.

"Do you have another one?"

"Oh I know too many to count. I'll tell you some more later." Ichigo swallowed the last bite of rice ball. Rice balls were yummy but eating nothing but rice balls for the past few days was starting to make Ichigo sick of them. "You guys ready to keep moving?"

Rukia and Chad nodded.

As they ran, Rukia asked, "How long do you think it'll take to find Inoue?"

Ichigo shrugged, or at least tried to since it was difficult to shrug while pumping your arms. "I don't know for sure but I know we'll find her soon. I can feel it."

"I can, too," Chad mumbled.

Rukia smiled weakly. Her mind wandered off to her spiritual pressure.

There wasn't much left.

* * *

Toshiro took a deep breath and reached behind to grab the hilt of his zanpakuto. Hyorinmaru was taller than him (much to his annoyance) so he had to carry it on his back instead of his waist.

"Reign over the Frosted Heavens, Hyorinmaru!"

Toshiro pulled out Hyorinmaru. It extended slightly and a crescent shaped blade formed.

"Ahhhh!" Toshiro split several wooden figures in half.

"Shiro…chan?"

Toshiro turned around. "Is there something wrong, Hinamori?"

Hinamori shook her head. She walked up to him. "You've been training all day."

"A huge battle is coming and with our spiritual pressures weakening…I just have to get stronger."

"OK but don't over work yourself. Training too much isn't good you know."

Toshiro smiled. He had recently noticed that he would only smile for Hinamori. "Don't worry about me. If I were you, I would worry about myself first. Get some rest. You'll never grow if you don't sleep."

Hinamori smiled. "You should get some rest too, Shiro-chan."

"That's Captain Hitsugaya to you," Toshiro teased.

Hinamori's cheeks turned pink. Or maybe it was just the sunset making it look like that? "Yeah I guess it is, but you'll always be Shiro-chan to me."

Toshiro stared into Hinamori's kind, dark eyes…

"Captain Hitsugaya!"

Rangiku Matsumoto was jogging to Toshiro. She stumbled and her giant breasts bumped into Toshiro's face.

"MATSUMOT-AHHH"

Rangiku had fallen on top of him. Toshiro's face was smothered.

"Sorry Captain," Rangiku said. Her blue eyes gleamed with amusement as she got up.

"MATSUMOTO!"

* * *

"Here's your meal." Ulquiorra placed the tray on Orihime's bedside table and turned to leave.

"W-wait, Ulquiorra. You're not staying?" Orihime looked puzzled.

"My apologies, woman, but I'm too busy to listen to your silly chatter."

"Busy doing what?"

"I prefer to not tell you."

Orihime stepped in front of Ulquiorra and faced him. "You can tell me…it's about Kurosaki-kun, isn't it?"

Ulquiorra hesitated. _She's going to find out anyway. Might as well tell her. _"Master is having us train so that we can battle the Gotei 13."

"Gotei…13?" Evidently, Orihime had no idea what the Gotei 13 was. Ulquiorra found this strange. The woman's friends were Soul Reapers, no?

"The Gotei 13…it's the military branch of the Soul Society. Aren't your friends Soul Reapers?"

"Well, yes, but Kurosaki-kun is a human. Kuchiki-san and Abarai-san may be working for the Gotei 13 but this is my first time hearing about it."

"The day after tomorrow, Master and us Espada are going to kill them. When we come out victorious, Master will take over the Soul Society. Then, he will conquer this planet."

The gears in Orihime's brain turned slowly. "Training… to kill the Gotei 13…take over the Soul Society…and this planet?

Ulquiorra said nothing.

"Y-you don't have to do it, Ulquiorra." Orihime looked at him pleadingly.

"Yes I do. It's Master's orders."

"But you're not a slave!" Orihime's head shook, causing a couple strands of her orange hair to slide onto her face.

Ulquiorra brushed the strands away. A sound escaped from Orihime's mouth as her cheeks turned pink.

There was a silence between them.

Ulquiorra felt something…_warm_ inside him. He wasn't sure if it was good or bad.

"I have to leave now," Ulquiorra said and rushed out of Orihime's room.

Orihime collapsed on her bed. _Does this mean I have to choose between Kurosaki-kun and Ulquiorra? Wait, what are you thinking, Orihime? Kurosaki-kun's your friend and Ulquiorra going to kill him and innocent people. I'm supposed to naturally choose Kurosaki-kun. But why am I so confused? _

* * *

Hayate lightly ran his fingers over the smooth crystal ball. The crystal ball was going to be his key to victory. Initially, Hayate wanted to defeat Ichigo himself. However that day, his gaze fell on the body of a certain person. He decided to seal the crystal ball in that body. It was actually the same body he used to complete it.

_A warrior who Ichigo cannot bring himself to fight…this is going to be an exciting battle._

**Review please! This is my first fan fiction and I would like to know how I can improve it. Thank you! xoxo**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Not going to school today? Cutting class is very irresponsible of you, Renji," Urahara said.

Renji ignored Urahara. He was sitting on his bed and looking out the window thinking about Rukia. Was she alright? Did she still have some spiritual pressure?

Urahara's eyes widened with realization. "Oh you're thinking about Rukia, aren't you?"

"Leave me alone."

"Sorry Renji, but I really do have something important to discuss." Urahara sat down next to Renji.

Yoruichi walked in and leaned against the wall. "The Gotei 13 is coming to Karakura tomorrow. The enemy sent a message stating that he wishes to battle here."

That got Renji's attention. "ALL of the Gotei 13 in Karakura? That sounds like a terrible idea!"

"It's necessary. With everyone's spiritual pressure disappearing, we need as much help as possible."

Renji thought of Ichigo and how his spiritual pressure was increasing by the minute. _You better come back with Rukia soon, Ichigo. Otherwise, I'll rip out your throat._

Yoruichi noticed the look on Renji's face. "I'm sure that Rukia will be back soon."

"She better be."

Yoruichi smiled. "Rukia is lucky to have someone care about her so much."

Renji's cheeks turned redder than his hair. "It's not what you think."

"Oh but it _is. _I know you have feelings for her. Rukia is strong and pretty and given your history with her, it's completely understandable."

"She's just a friend."

"But you love her."

"No I don't."

"But you do."

Renji suddenly realized that Urahara had left the room. He must have lost interest. Part of the reason why Renji was in denial was because Renji didn't want to admit that he was in love in front of a guy.

"OK so maybe I do love Rukia, but it's not like it matters."

Yoruichi raised an eyebrow.

"I lost all of my spiritual pressure. Assuming Rukia still has hers, she's going to continue being a Soul Reaper and that means I won't be able to see her. Even if I get my pressure back or Rukia loses all of hers, I still can't be with her because…" Renji shut his eyes. Memories flashed by: Ichigo cradling Rukia after she was injured, Rukia giving Ichigo Soul Reaper powers, Rukia choosing to live in Ichigo's closet, Ichigo and Rukia talking about apple juice, Rukia concerned about Ichigo, Rukia looking at Ichigo with admiration…

"…I don't think she feels the same."

_Damn you Ichigo._

Yoruichi crossed her arms. "You think she loves Ichigo, don't you?"

Renji nodded slowly. His heart was starting to ache.

"Ichigo and Rukia are friends but I don't see why you think she loves him. From what I've seen, there was nothing special going on between them."

Renji shook his head. "Not at first. At least, not for Rukia. I was getting this vibe from Ichigo that he was attracted to her. That kid didn't smile unless Rukia was involved. Anyways, you probably couldn't see it because you weren't around that time."

"That time," Yoruichi repeated.

"When we were training, Chad refused to take a break. That inspired Ichigo to train hard too. He made this speech and after that Rukia started looking at him differently." Renji stopped. He was surprised how painful it was to recall that scene. _That must mean I love Rukia a lot._

Yoruichi seemed to be thinking. "Maybe she did start looking at Ichigo in a different light. I can't say for sure though. Honestly, I'm not a good person to talk to. I never really watched chick flicks so I'm not familiar with this topic."

"Then…how did you know that I loved Rukia?"

"Call it instinct. I just knew. You were probably being really obvious."

Renji raised his head and stared the ceiling fan. It was spinning fast and making whoosh sounds. "If I was obvious, then do you think Rukia knows?"

Yoruichi laughed. "Are you kidding? We barely talk but I can see she's even more dense about love than I am."

* * *

The amount of spiritual pressure contained in Ichigo's body was overwhelming. He had never felt so powerful…so guilty. Ichigo knew that most of the spiritual pressure in him came from other Soul Reapers. That included Rukia. And now, Rukia's spiritual pressure was almost completely drained from her body.

Ichigo thought of Ulquiorra. If he failed to beat him so easily, how could Rukia survive?

"Hey, Rukia?"

Rukia looked up at him, her eyes innocent and beautiful. "What's wrong Ichigo?"

"I think we're close to finding Inoue. While I fight Ulquiorra…can you find a place to hide?"

Rukia's eyes flared. She stopped walking and faced Ichigo. "Hide? Why should I hide? Am I useless or something?"

"No! It's just that the state of your spiritual pressure is, to put it bluntly, terrible. I would feel better if I knew you were somewhere safe."

Rukia's fists balled at her sides. "Then I would've come all this way for nothing! I want to help Ichigo. I can't just watch you and Chad get hurt."

"Chad and I will be fine."

"Oh really? You haven't achieved bankai yet. How do you know you're going to win?"

"How do you know that you'll be safe?"

"Ichigo, I may not be the strongest Soul Reaper, but I'm not weak. I can take care of myself."

"Why are you so confident? Kami, Rukia sometimes you're too stubborn!"

"You're one to talk!"

"I know I'm stubborn, but you're the one who shouldn't be so stubborn!"

"GODDAMMIT ICHIGO I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF! STOP TREATING ME LIKE I'M A PRETTY PRINCESS WHO NEEDS A KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR!"

"UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES I WOULDN'T BUT THIS IS DIFFERENT!"

"OH?! I'VE BEEN IN STICKY SITUATIONS BEFORE AND I'M STILL ALIVE!"

"THIS IS DIFFERENT! YOU BARELY HAVE ANY SPIRITUAL PRESSURE LEFT!"

"THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! THIS IS MY DECISION SO CAN YOU PLEASE RESPECT IT!?"

"I CAN'T LET YOU DIE OUT THERE!"

"I CAN'T LET YOU DIE EITHER! THAT'S WHY I REFUSE TO HIDE!"

Rukia stomped off.

Ichigo marched off in the opposite direction.

Chad stood awkwardly between them. After a moment of thinking, he followed Rukia.

He found her sitting on the edge of a cliff.

"Hey Chad," Rukia said.

Chad sat down next to her. He took a deep breath. "Ichigo only said that because he's worried about you."

Rukia was astonished. Chad had said more than one word! "I know he is but I don't like how he keeps underestimating me."

"He only does that because he cares about you."

Something fluttered in Rukia's stomach. She pushed the feeling away. "Renji cares about me and he respects me as a warrior."

"Well, this situation has never happened before, has it? Ichigo has every right to be worried. He has a temper which is why he was shouting at you back there. He wasn't trying to be mean."

Rukia thought of the night she confided in Ichigo. How soft his tone was. How protective the hug was. "Ichigo is kind and has good intentions. I know that. I just don't want to be useless."

"In Ichigo's eyes, you keeping yourself safe is better than throwing yourself in danger. I agree he should be more respectful or your decision but I understand why Ichigo would want you to hide. Just try to look at things from his perspective."

Rukia imagined the roles switched. _I guess I would want Ichigo to be safe to if his spiritual pressure was fading._

Rukia flushed. She felt a little embarrassed. "I probably overreacted…again."

Chad got up. "I'm going to talk to Ichigo now."

Rukia smiled. "Thank you, Chad." After a pause, "You're wise, you know that?"

Chad's back was facing her but Rukia could tell that he was smiling.

* * *

Ichigo lay on his back at the base of a tall tree. He lifted up his hand as if he was reaching for the sun.

He sensed Chad walking to him.

"Hey," Ichigo said.

Chad grunted in response and sat down next to him.

"I fucked up, didn't I? Rukia hates me now," Ichigo mumbled.

Chad shook his head. "Rukia doesn't hate you. She could never hate you."

"Good one, Chad. If you talked more, you could become a comedian."

"Sarcasm much? Anyways, Rukia really can't hate you. Umm this may sound cheesy but…you're the Yin to her Yang."

"Huh?"

"Yin and Yang…you know that Chinese thing? Basically, Yin and Yang represents how everything about life balances each other such as light and dark. You and Rukia need each other for balance. You two argue a lot, sometimes over the most insignificant detail, but you still need each other."

Ichigo rolled onto his side so that his back faced Chad. "Maybe, but that doesn't mean that Rukia isn't pissed at me."

"She was initially mad. But she forgives you now. Just apologize to her already. We have to find Inoue as soon as possible."

Inoue! Ichigo has nearly forgotten the reason why they were in this forest.

He pushed himself off the ground. Ichigo nodded at Chad. "Thanks Chad. You know, this is the most I've ever heard you talk."

Chad stood up. "Maybe because this is the most I've ever talked."

* * *

_Sorry for being a dick, Rukia. No. That doesn't sound sincere enough. Rukia, I'm sorry. That doesn't seem good enough either!_

Ichigo was so preoccupied with mentally rehearsing an apology that he didn't notice Rukia walking up to him.

"Ugh," Rukia groaned as she fell back. Ichigo caught her just in time.

"Sorry Rukia! I didn't see you there!"

"I-it's OK. I wasn't paying attention either."

There was an awkward silence between them. Chad stopped next to Ichigo and nudged him.

"Er, Rukia I wanted to say that I'm sorry."

"Ichigo, I'm sorry."

"You're a strong girl who can take care of yourself."

"I know you just want me to be safe."

"It's just that with everything going…" Ichigo's voice trailed off. Their words were overlapping each other. Rukia didn't seem to hear a single word he was saying.

"But I just got so annoyed that I overreacted again," Rukia said. She stopped and blinked at Ichigo. A smile formed on her lips and she laughed.

Ichigo laughed as well but he had no idea why. "What's so funny?"

"I don't know. I just feel stupid. Anyways, what were you saying?"

Ichigo took a deep breath. With more confidence, he said, "Rukia, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too."

Ichigo and Rukia gazed into each other's eyes. A gentle breeze rolled by.

Chad ruined the moment.

"Sorry to disturb you two, but I think we better get going."

* * *

Hayate leaned on his left arm and smiled at Orihime. Orihime kept her face neutral but deep down, she was afraid.

"Orihime, do you know why I ordered Ulquiorra to bring you here?" Hayate asked. He gestured at Ulquiorra who was standing at his left.

Orihime said nothing.

"I want to discuss about tomorrow. It's a big day, you know."

Again, Orihime remained silent.

Hayate chuckled. "Your friends have no chance of winning. Not even your precious Kurosaki-kun. So why don't you just join my side? In case Ulquiorra never told you, that dress you're wearing is supposed to make using kido difficult. The fact that you were still able to heal Ulquiorra a while ago proves that you have potential. I want you to come to Karakura with us tomorrow and heal the Espada in need of it. Not that they really would, though."

Orihime mustered up the courage to say, "I will never help you, even if my life depends on it."

"Oh believe me, it will," Hayate said. "I ordered Ulquiorra to kill you if you betrayed us. If for some reason he can't kill you, I'm sure that there are other Espada willing to do the job."

Orihime swallowed when she remembered Grimmjow's threat.

"Please keep that in mind. Ulquiorra, escort Orihime back to her chamber."

Ulquiorra walked in front of Hayate and bowed. He turned to Orihime. "Let's go, woman."

Orihime followed Ulquiorra. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hayate's gaze move down to her rear. The pervert.

"You're not actually going to kill me, right?" Orihime asked once they exited the chamber.

Ulquiorra said nothing and stared straight ahead. Orihime felt a pang in her heart.

"Ulquiorra, I consider you to be a friend, but I'm not completely sure that you feel the same. What do you think about me?"

Ulquiorra stopped walking and turned around. "You consider me to be a friend?"

Orihime smiled. "Of course! You've been nice to me."

"Just because I never assaulted you like Grimmjow or Master did does not mean I'm nice."

"You _have_ been nice. You kept me company and-"

"I had to because it was Master's orders," Ulquiorra lied. He couldn't tell Orihime that he visited her on his own accord, not with such a major battle coming up. Ulquiorra could not let these…these… _sensations _get in the way of his duty.

"Somehow I don't believe that," Orihime murmured.

Ulquiorra pinned Orihime against the wall. She gasped and looked up at Ulquiorra. With his cat-like green eyes and messy black hair, Ulquiorra was strangely attractive. Actually, he kind of reminded Orihime of that American singer, Adam something. Orihime imagined Ulquiorra singing on a stage while adoring fans screamed at him. He looked so silly.

"Woman," Ulquiorra said in a quiet voice. "It seems as if you've misinterpreted my actions. One of my orders was to keep you alive. That is why I've been so "nice" to you."

"You defied your master to save me that time," Orihime pointed out. It couldn't have happened more than a week ago, but to Orihime, it seemed years had passed by since that day.

"And it was a decision I ended up regretting," Ulquiorra said coldly. Orihime flinched.

He released Orihime. "I don't want to hear you speak anymore. Understood?"

Orihime frowned.

Ulquiorra stared at Orihime for a moment before walking again.

* * *

"Matsumoto, where are you going?" Toshiro asked.

Instead of wearing her black kimono, Rangiku wore a yellow blouse and jeans. _She better not be thinking of drinking tonight._

Rangiku placed her hand on the door knob and looked down. Her pretty blue eyes teared up. "I want to see Gin just in case one of us doesn't make it back tomorrow…"

"Both of you will come out of that battle alive," Toshiro said fiercely. "You may go visit him, but you don't have to worry about losing him."

Rangiku's lips smiled, but her eyes didn't. "Thank you, Captain. Even though you yell at me a lot, you've been kind."

Before Toshiro could say anything, Rangiku opened the door and walked out. She closed the door quietly.

Shortly after Rangiku left, someone knocked on the door. Toshiro knew it was Hinamori.

"Shiro-chan, I brought some amanatto," Hinamori chirped as she walked in.

Toshiro blushed. "Thank you, Hinamori."

"You don't have to address me by my last name, you know. We've known each other for so long."

"I know. But I'm a captain and you're a lieutenant. It's proper to address each other formally."

Hinamori's gaze cast down. "Shiro-chan…I actually wanted to talk to you. But I want to talk to you as a friend, not as a subordinate. Can you please call me Momo?"

Toshiro sighed. "OK…Momo… what do you need to talk about?"

As soon as the words jumped off of Toshiro's lips, he mentally slapped himself. Obviously Hinamori wanted to talk about tomorrow's battle. _Kami, I feel so stupid._

"It's about tomorrow. With the little spiritual pressure I have left, the chances of me surviving is low. That's why I wanted to see you…"

Toshiro walked up to her and took her wrist. He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her.

"…before I die," Hinamori whispered. She hugged him back.

"You're not going to die," Toshiro said gently. "I won't let you."

* * *

Orihime was clearly hurt, but she didn't shed a single tear. In fact, she seemed indignant.

_She knows that her friends are going to die tomorrow yet she's not broken. What a strong woman._ Ulquiorra thought as he closed the door to Orihime's room.

"Hey, Ulquiorra." Grimmjow walked up to Ulquiorra. He smiled lecherously. "Did you tell your pet about tomorrow? Did she slap you? Did you discipline her?"

"Tsk, disgusting," Ulquiorra muttered. He began to walk away.

Grimmjow stepped in front of him and leaned against the wall. "Don't be such a pussy, Ulquiorra. That girl's boobs are even bigger than Tier's and considering the amount of time you spend together, I wouldn't be surprised if you already fucked her."

"Whatever relationship I have with that woman is none of your business," Ulquiorra said calmly.

"Oh, but it is," Grimmjow said. "I want to be sure that I can kill her without you interfering."

"It's not your job to handle her," Ulquiorra pointed out. "Your hands should be nowhere near her."

"Oh oh getting a bit protective now, aren't you?" Grimmjow sneered.

"Aren't you supposed to be training?"

Grimmjow glared at Ulquiorra. "Shouldn't you train also?"

"I told you before that I don't need to train. When Master created me, he concentrated on only me. When he created you, he created the others at the same time resulting in you being weaker than me. Go train."

Grimmjow stormed off. "You're going to regret not training, Ulquiorra!"

Ulquiorra had no clue what Grimmjow meant by that.

* * *

The rustling of leaves woke up Ichigo.

Yawning, he sat up and saw Rukia walking away.

Next to Ichigo, Chad was snoring. Careful not to disturb him, Ichigo got up slowly and followed Rukia.

It was the middle of the night and the only thing Ichigo could make out was the moon, which seemed to be glowing more brightly.

Since it was so dark and Rukia's spiritual pressure was difficult to detect, Ichigo lost her. He looked around and wondered where Rukia might have gone.

"Baka, I'm up here!"

Ichigo looked up. Rukia sat on top of branch. It was difficult to see, but Ichigo saw a flash of white teeth. Rukia was smiling

Ichigo flew up. One of the perks of being a Soul Reaper was having the ability to fly. If Rukia hadn't come, Ichigo and Chad would have just flown.

He sat next to her. "Why are you awake?"

"I couldn't sleep. Why did you follow me?"

Ichigo shrugged. "I woke up and noticed you leave."

Rukia stared at the sky. "The moon is so beautiful tonight."

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah."

Rukia chuckled. "I can imagine nii-sama painting the sky or writing a poem about it."

"You have an older brother?"

"Well, technically he's my brother-in-law. I had an older sister who married him. But I always considered Byakuya as a brother."

"Huh. So tell me about this Byakuya person."

"Nii-sama is a captain of the Gotei 13. Renji was actually his lieutenant." Rukia became quiet all of a sudden.

"Renji is safe. I'm sure of that," Ichigo said.

Rukia bit her lip. "You always say everything is going to be fine."

"Maybe but I know that Renji is OK. I mean, I can't guarantee he'll regain his spiritual pressure but now that he's human, he'll be a lot safer."

"I guess," Rukia said.

Ichigo hesitated. "What was your relationship with Renji anyway?"

Rukia was looking at Ichigo now. "Renji and I grew up in the same town. We were both orphans and worked together to survive. When we got older, we enrolled in the Soul Reaper Academy."

"So…you two are really close?"

"Renji is my best friend," Rukia said. "I trust him with my life."

For some reason, Ichigo was slightly bothered by Rukia's answer. Actually, her answer bothered him a lot. _Am I jealous?_

"Is Chad your closest friend?" Rukia's voice broke Ichigo's train of thought.

"He's one of them if not the closest. I'm really close to Tatsuki."

"Tatsuki? As in, Arisawa Tatsuki? The girl with the short hair?"

Ichigo nodded. "I've known Tatsuki for a long time. We both took karate when we were kids. Tatsuki always beat me."

Rukia giggled. "Getting beat up by a girl? That's manly of you."

"Hey, Tatsuki is the second strongest girl in Japan. I'd like to see you spar with her."

"Maybe one day," Rukia said. "This might sound like a random question, but did you ever have a crush on Arisawa?"

Ichigo blinked. "Um, no? I don't recall ever feeling attracted to Tatsuki. She's just a friend. Why?"

Rukia shrugged. "Just wondering."

There was a moment of silence between them.

"Rukia," Ichigo said, "Don't take this the wrong way, but when we find Inoue, can you take her someplace safe while I fight Ulquiorra?"

Rukia nodded. "I was thinking of doing that. I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're right. I can't really help you fight. Ichigo, can you actually do me a favor?"

"Sure. What do you want?"

"Promise me that you won't die."

Ichigo stared into Rukia's eyes. They seemed to be begging him to say "I won't die."

"Rukia, you don't have to worry about me. My father always told me that I was born to protect people. I'm willing to sacrifice my life if it comes down to that, but I assure you that I'm still too young to die. Besides, if I do die, I'll just be sent to the Soul Society, right? You could still see me."

"I know. But I want you to live your life to its fullest as a human before your time comes."

Ichigo scratched his head. "Hey, Rukia."

"What?"

"Promise that you also won't die."

Rukia involuntarily leaned forward a little. "I won't."

For what felt like hours, Ichigo and Rukia stared into each other's eyes.

Without thinking, Ichigo leaned forward. He could feel Rukia's breath on his nose.

Something, a squirrel probably, rustled through the leaves.

The noise startled them. Ichigo jolted and fell backwards. He would've fallen on his head if Ichigo didn't know how to fly. Ichigo landed on his feet

Rukia laughed. "Baka," she said.

Rukia climbed down. "I think we should go to bed now."

"Yeah," Ichigo said.

As they headed back, Ichigo and Rukia snuck glances at each other.

* * *

Hayate tossed a rock in his new invention. As expected, it immediately disappeared.

Hayate had created a teleportation device (with the help of the crystal ball of course). It would transfer everyone to Karakura a lot faster flight would.

Hayate eyed the crystal ball and a wicked smile formed on his well defined face. He then glanced at a body of a young boy.

_Yamamoto Shigekuni Genryusai, let's see if you can fight without the power of your zanpakuto_.

**Review please! This is my first fan fiction and I would like to know how I can improve it. Thank you! xoxo**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

_"Mom, I don't want to go to school anymore," a small orange haired boy said._

_"Why not? Education is important."_

_"People keep making fun of me. They said my hair color is weird and keep calling me 'Strawberry.' Why did you name me Ichigo? Isn't that more of a girl's name?"_

_"Ichigo can mean strawberry. But the reason why I named you 'Ichigo' is because it means 'he who protects.' You're a protector, Ichigo." _

_"I'm a protector?"_

_Masaki smiled. "Yes and it is your job to protect the people you love. Karin, Yuzu, Tatsuki…but before you can protect anyone, you have to educate yourself. How can you protect people if you have no knowledge of the world? Work hard in school, OK?"_

_Ichigo nodded eagerly. _

_Masaki hugged Ichigo. "That's my boy!"_

Ichigo opened his eyes slightly. Light peeked through his eyelids, causing Ichigo to open his eyes completely. Birds chirped. He sat up.

"Good morning, Ichigo," Rukia said.

Chad tossed a bag of potato chips at Ichigo. Ichigo caught it with one hand and opened it. They were running out of food so Ichigo had to save as much as possible without starving. Eating slow apparently made the food last longer so Ichigo ate slowly.

Rukia stretched her arms. "The weather is so nice today!"

Ichigo looked up. Although it was difficult to see the sky because of the trees, it seemed as if there was not a single cloud in the sky.

Ichigo took a sip of water and got up. "OK, let's go!"

* * *

"So then I destroyed the Hollow with Muteki Tekkon," Jinta exclaimed.

"Good job, Jinta," Urahara said.

Renji stared down at his breakfast. He felt the food climbing up his throat. Hearing Jinta's Hollow killing adventures made Renji want to puke. He was jealous.

_I should be the one kicking the Hollows' ass, not the ginger midget. _

Urahara, Yoruichi, Tessai, Jinta, and Ururu's heads suddenly turned.

"Get the door, Jinta," Urahara said.

"Ururu, get the door," Jinta said.

Renji stood up before Ururu could. He couldn't let Jinta pick on Ururu. "I'll get the door."

"Actually, it would be best if _I_ got the door," Urahara said. He stood up and walked to the door.

"Why-"

"The Gotei 13 seemed to have decided to grace us with their presence," Yoruichi said sarcastically.

"Better watch out for Soi Fon, Yoruichi," Tessai mumbled. Soi Fon was the captain of the 2nd Division. To put it bluntly, Soi Fon obsessed over Yoruichi.

"I'm more concerned about why Yamamoto is here," Yoruichi said.

"_All_ of the Gotei 13 is here," Renji sputtered.

"Everyone," Yoruichi said.

Urahara walked in. "The enemy actually said that? Karakura doesn't seem like a good battlefield though. He must be nearby."

Yoruichi and Tessai stood up and bowed. "Captain Yamamoto."

There was a moment of silence.

"The enemy stole all of Renji's spiritual pressure," Urahara said.

Renji wanted to punch the wall. He couldn't sense Yamamoto, or anyone in the Gotei 13, at all.

There was a long moment of silence.

Urahara turned to Renji. "According to Yamamoto, the enemy challenged the Gotei 13 to a fight. They're battling in Karakura today."

Renji's mouth dropped to the ground. "TODAY?!"

Urahara nodded. "Renji, I want you to get as much people out of this town as possible. Yoruichi, Tessai, Jinta, Ururu and I will help the Gotei 13."

"How could I get everyone out? No one will listen to me."

"They will once buildings start exploding."

* * *

Ichigo felt like crying when they stepped out of the forest. Although he was grateful for the oxygen trees produced, Ichigo was getting sick of trees.

"Is that…a _cave_?" Rukia pointed at a gigantic boulder with a huge gaping hole in it.

"Looks like we finally found Ulquiorra's hideout," Ichigo said.

Ichigo, Rukia, and Chad walked in it. The cave was silent.

They stopped when the cave split into two corridors.

Ichigo sensed someone's presence. The spiritual pressure felt a lot like Orihime's.

"This way," Ichigo said. The trio ran through the passage on the right.

The spiritual pressure grew stronger. _We're getting warmer._

"K-Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo, Rukia, and Chad stopped. Orihime stood about ten feet from them. Her eyes were wide with fear.

"Don't be scared, Inoue. We've come to save you," Ichigo said gently. He took a step forward.

Orihime took a step back. She turned around and ran.

"Inoue, wait!" Ichigo and Rukia shouted in unison. Their voices echoed through the cave. Ichigo, Rukia, and Chad chased after her.

_Inoue, what the hell are you thinking?_

A faint blue light appeared. Ichigo, Rukia, and Chad stopped. Orihime had led them to walk looked like a laboratory. She was nowhere to be found, though Ichigo could sense that she was nearby.

Rukia gasped.

Bodies floated in giant tubes filled with an orange liquid. All of the bodies were covered with grotesque scars.

Ichigo slowly walked around and examined each body. He stopped at one of the tubes.

The body belonged to a woman. Deep gashes covered her torso and limbs. There was a hole at the base of her throat. The skin on the left side of her face was completely torn off.

Ichigo felt his insides turn.

The body was Kurosaki Masaki.

His mother.

Ichigo puked and fell to his knees.

"Ichigo!" Rukia ran to his side and put her hand on his shoulder. She looked up at the body.

Chad's tan face paled when he recognized the body. "Ichi…go…"

Sweat rolled down Ichigo's cheek.

_The reason why I named you 'Ichigo' is because it means 'he who protects.'_

His vision blurred.

_You're ranked twenty-third in your grade? I'm so proud of you!_

Ichigo's hands wouldn't stop shaking.

_Ichigo, you're going to be an older brother!_

Ichigo began hyperventilating.

_Ichigo, I made your favorite!_

Everything around Ichigo faded away.

_You'll always be in my heart, Ichigo._

An indescribable rage boiled up in Ichigo. He clenched his fists so hard that his palms started bleeding.

Ichigo shot up and ran to the direction of Orihime's spiritual pressure.

"Ichigo, wait!" Rukia called. Ichigo barely heard her.

"Inoue…!" Ichigo cried when he saw Orihime.

Orihime squealed as Ichigo grabbed her arm.

"WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?! WHO THE FUCK KILLED MY MOTHER?! WHERE THE FUCK IS THE BASTARD?!"

Orihime's terrified expression changed. In a dangerously calm voice, she said, "There is a machine in the lab. Step in it and you will be teleported back to Karakura. Master and the Gotei 13 are battling each other there."

Before Ichigo could say anything, Orihime melted.

"What the-Inoue?"

"That was not Inoue," Rukia said. "We have to go back to Karakura."

"I think this is the teleportation device," Chad said. He pointed at a cylindrical machine.

The three of them stepped in it. A flash of white light blinded Ichigo.

* * *

He blinked and looked around. They were no longer in the cave, but standing on a road in Karakura. Since Ichigo was in his Soul Reaper form, a car drove straight through him.

An overwhelming amount of spiritual pressure hit Ichigo. He slowly looked up.

An army of Soul Reapers were floating in the air. An old man with a long beard stood in front of them. Standing about twenty feet across from them was a man with blonde hair and blue eyes. He too had an army made up of what seemed like Hollows turned human. Ichigo saw Ulquiorra standing near the man.

"Long time no see, Yamamoto Shigekuni Genryusai," the blonde man said.

The old man glared at him. "You were supposed to be dead, Koriyama."

The man laughed. "No need to be so formal. Just call me Hayate."

Hayate suddenly looked down right at Ichigo. Ichigo felt all eyes turn to him.

"So we finally meet, Kurosaki Ichigo," Hayate said.

Ichigo reached for Zangetsu. "Who are you and how do you know my name?"

Hayate laughed. "I've been watching you for over a month now. I see you as a threat to my plans."

"What plans?"

"To make the Gotei 13 the Gotei 0. I intend to conquer the Soul Society and the World of the Living."

Ichigo's lip curled. "That lab…were you the one that murdered my mother?"

Hayate laughed. "I wouldn't say I murdered Masaki. I really needed her. Masaki was a Quincy, a human with spiritual pressure. She was the last of her kind. I used her spiritual pressure to complete my most powerful weapon."

Ichigo was dizzy. His mother had spiritual pressure? "What weapon is this?"

Hayate took something out of his pocket. It shone as the sunlight reflected off it. It was a crystal ball.

"This crystal ball allowed me to watch over your progress, Kurosaki Ichigo. I also used it to create my Espada army and absorb every Soul Reaper's spiritual pressure. You were an exception, Ichigo. My theory is that because of your link with your mother, whose spiritual pressure gave the crystal ball its power, you gained spiritual pressure every time the crystal ball did."

"Enough talking Koriyama!" The old man snapped. "I want to finish this now!"

Hayate wagged a finger. "Patience, Genryusai. I'm not done yet. My hero has not arrived yet."

The crystal ball floated off of Hayate's hand levitated in front of him. It glowed and expanded.

When the light faded away, the crystal ball was no longer there. Instead, a person stood there.

Ichigo inhaled sharply.

The person was Masaki.

Masaki wore a sleeveless, skin tight, white dress that went down right above her knees. Ichigo could clearly see the scars on her arms and legs. She held a bow.

"Ichigo, you will fight Masaki," Hayate said. "You're the only one with the ability to defeat her. Of course, that's just assuming you can bring yourself to." He nodded at the old man. "Alright Genryusai, let's dan-"

Hayate was interrupted by an arrow made out of blue spiritual pressure. It pierced Hayate's chest. A red ribbon of blood streamed out.

Everyone, including Hayate, gawked at the attacker.

It was Masaki. Her bow was still pointed at Hayate.

"W-why…" Hayate's voice was hardly audible.

"I'll be taking things over from now on." The voice belonged to Masaki, but it had a cold ring to it.

Hayate made a gagging sound as he fell from the sky.

Genryusai lifted up his zanpakuto and emitted a battle cry. The other Soul Reapers and Hayate's army did the same.

Ichigo, Rukia, and Chad watched as the two sides clashed with each other. Masaki stood at the edge of the battle. Her gaze was fixed on Ichigo.

"Ichi…nii?"

Ichigo turned around. Isshin, Karin, Yuzu, Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro were staring at him.

Karin and Yuzu were in tears. "Ichi-nii, what's going on? Why is mother…" Yuzu sobbed.

Ichigo was shocked. "All of you can see me?"

They nodded. Isshin stepped forward. "Ichigo, I think it's time you know the truth. I was once a Soul Reaper. In fact, I was a captain. But I fell in love with your mother and left the Gotei 13 to be with her. That's why you were able to see ghosts. Karin and Yuzu can, too."

"Keigo, Mizuiro and I could see ghosts too," Tatsuki admitted.

Rukia stared at Isshin. "You used to be a captain?"

Isshin nodded. "I was Hitsugaya Toshiro's predecessor. You didn't recognize me because I went by a different name. Kurosaki is Masaki's surname, not mine. My real name is Shiba Isshin."

Rukia's voice shook. "Sh-Shiba?"

The name sounded so familiar to Ichigo.

_I had a close friend named Shiba Kaien. _

"Shiba!" Ichigo exclaimed. "Dad, did you know someone named Kaien?"

Isshin nodded. "Kaien was my nephew. That makes him your cousin."

_Well, that explains why Rukia said I resembled him._

A building exploded. Many people screamed. Ichigo turned around.

Through all the dust, he could make out long red hair that reminded Ichigo of a pineapple.

"Renji!" Rukia cried.

"All of you have to leave!" Renji shouted at a crowd of people.

Ichigo looked back at his family and friends. "Dad, get Karin and Yuzu out of Karakura. Tatsuki, you, Keigo, and Mizuiro help Renji evacuate everyone. Be careful."

"You be careful, too," Isshin said. He held Karin and Yuzu's hand and ran off with them.

"What about you?" Tatsuki asked.

Ichigo looked up at Masaki. She was still watching him. "There's something I need to take care of."

Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro nodded and ran off.

"Ichigo, what should I do?" Rukia asked.

Ichigo thought hard. "Try to find Inoue and get her out. If you can't, then evacuate the town."

"OK," Rukia said.

Ichigo nodded. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chad fly into the battle. Ichigo's feet began the leave the ground.

"Wait, Ichigo!"

Rukia grabbed the collar of Ichigo's kimono and pulled him down. Her lips pressed against his. They stayed in that position for two seconds before Rukia let him go.

Rukia was blushing. "Good luck," she said. "Don't die."

Ichigo nodded. "I won't."

As Ichigo flew off, he suddenly realized that Rukia had just kissed him.

**Review please! This is my first fan fiction and I would like to know how I can improve it. Thank you! xoxo**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Took you long enough," Masaki said dryly as Ichigo stopped about fifteen feet in front of her.

Ichigo forced himself to smile. "You and dad never told me that you two have spiritual pressure."

Masaki extended her arm. A blue arrow materialized in her palm. She nocked the arrow, raised and drew the bow. "Maybe we just wanted to forget and live a normal life."

Masaki let go and the arrow shot from the bow. The arrow flew so quickly that Ichigo barely had time to react. Time seemed to slow down as Ichigo threw his head back. The only thing Ichigo heard was his heart beat. He cringed when the arrow sliced off the tips of his hair.

Masaki emitted a sound. She seemed to be laughing. "I didn't expect you to dodge that."

Ichigo smirked as he regained his balance. "It's not like you to underestimate me."

"I guess not," Masaki said. Another arrow materialized in her hand. Masaki nocked it. "But then again, I'm not really _me._"

She drew her bow.

* * *

Starrk watched as his Cero blasted through a Soul Reaper. He felt a twinge of guilt as the Soul Reaper shrieked and faded away.

"Starrk?"

Starrk looked down at Lilynette. Her pink eye stared at him with concern. Starrk faked a smile. "I'm fine, Lilynette."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

Suddenly, Starrk sensed someone behind them.

"All Waves, Rise now and Become my Shield, Lightning, Strike now and Become my Blade, Sogyo no Kotowari!"

Starrk and Lilynette whirled around. Behind them was a tall man with long white hair. He held two blades that were attached to each other with a long red chain. The chain has silver square charms attached to it. Unlike most of the Soul Reapers who just wore a black kimono, the man wore a white haori over his kimono.

This man was a Captain.

"Oh great. This early in the battle and I already get to battle a captain. Aren't I lucky?" Starrk muttered.

The man smiled. It was surprisingly kind. "You don't seem as enthusiastic about fighting as your comrades."

Starrk shrugged. "I don't really like violence. I'd much rather go home and sleep."

The man laughed. "You remind me of my good friend, Shunsui. You're both lazy and huh, both of you have brown hair. What's your name?"

"I don't see why you need to know but, I'm Coyote Starrk."

"And I'm Lilynette Gingerbuck," Lilynette said.

The man bowed. "Ukitake Jushiro, captain of the 13th Division." Captain Ukitake nodded at Lilynette. "Lilynette, I need you to go play somewhere else. I don't enjoy fighting in the presence of a child." His tone was not even slightly mocking.

Lilynette seethed. "I am NOT a child!"

Starrk stared at Ukitake. He seemed like a good hearted man. But the fact that he was a Captain was difficult to ignore. Although his spiritual pressure level was decreasing, Starrk knew better than to underestimate his opponent.

"Lilynette, sit out for this one," Starrk said.

"What?!"

"I need you to stand back and let me deal with Captain Ukitake," Starrk said. "If I need help, then I'll call you."

Lilynette opened her mouth to protest but closed it. She nodded slowly and flew away.

"You can make the first move," Ukitake said.

Starrk smirked. "That won't work on me. I'm not easily provoked."

Ukitake chuckled. "Suit yourself."

Ukitake suddenly disappeared and reappeared under Starrk. Ukitake had his left sword pointed up at Starrk.

Starrk drew back as Ukitake's sword pierced the area his head had just been.

"You're quick," Ukitake said. He flew up to the same level as Starrk.

Starrk didn't reply. He fired a Cero from his chest.

Instead of dodging, Ukitake pointed his left sword at the Cero. The sword glowed as the Cero quickly disappeared. The charms on the red chain glowed one-by-one. Ukitake pointed his right sword at Starrk.

Starrk's eyes widened.

Ukitake fired an attack much faster than Starrk's. Starrk veered to one side. He watched as the attack blasted a tall building. Starrk breathed hard. Had he not been fast enough, his life would have ended for sure.

"This is Sogyo no Kotowari's special ability," Ukitake began.

"I see," Starrk said. "Your left sword absorbed my Cero. The energy then moved through that chain and was reversed from its original course by being fired from the right sword. The process happened so fast, I almost thought it was your own attack."

"You're perceptive," Ukitake commended. "You explained it perfectly. Well, almost perfectly. You missed one part."

"Oh? And what is that?"

Ukitake shook his right sword. The charms jingled. "I'm sure you noticed that your attack was fired back a lot faster than it originally was. It's because of these charms. They strengthen and accelerate the attack."

"Fascinating."

Ukitake smiled. "If only we weren't on different sides, you and Shunsui would get along just fine."

"And you wouldn't have to fight me."

Ukitake laughed. "That too! Your Cero is powerful. Because of the state of my spiritual pressure, it was quite tiring to redirect it back at you."

"Enough talking, I want to get this over with," Starrk said.

Ukitake charged. Starrk unsheathed his sword and blocked Ukitake's attack. Starrk took a deep breath and pushed Ukitake back. As Ukitake regained his balance, Starrk brought his sword down on him. Ukitake crossed his swords and blocked the attack just in time.

Ukitake spun around and swung his left sword at Starrk's side.

Starrk flash stepped several feet away.

Ukitake leaped above him. He brought his swords down.

A green Cero fired at Ukitake. Ukitake raised his hand and easily deflected the Cero.

Starrk nervously glanced at the direction where the Cero came from. _Please let it not be her._

Unfortunately, it was. Lilynette panted and glared at Ukitake.

"Lilynette, I thought I told you to leave," Starrk said.

"It looked like you needed help!" Lilynette snapped.

Before Starrk could reply, he sensed another spiritual pressure from behind. He felt the cold metal of a sword tuck under his chin. Starrk flash stepped to Lilynette's side.

"Poor Jushiro, you were outnumbered," a tall man with long brown hair tied up in a ponytail said. The man looked…queer. He wore a straw hat and a pink flowered kimono that was clearly for women. Just like Ukitake, the man carried two swords.

"Hello, Shunsui!" Ukitake said. "I've actually been telling my new friend about you."

"Oh really? What did you say?"

"That you're really alike."

Starrk coughed.

"Oh, where are my manners?" Shunsui said. He took off the pink kimono and let it fall from the sky. Under it was a white haori. "I'm Kyoraku Shunsui, captain of the 8th Division."

"Coyote Starrk, pleased to meet you," Starrk said sarcastically. _Wonderful, I get to face another captain._

"Lilynette Gingerbuck," Lilynette said.

Shunsui flew to Ukitake's side. "If you don't mind, I'll be helping you fight Starrk."

"Hey, what about me?!" Lilynette demanded.

"Sorry kid, but it's against my morals to hurt a child."

Lilynette hissed at Shunsui and charged at him.

"Lilynette!" Starrk called.

"Don't forget about me, Starrk!" Ukitake flew towards him. He pointed his right sword at Starrk and stabbed at his head multiple times. Starrk tilted his body, avoiding every stab. _I can't beat him just like this,_ Starrk thought.

Starrk drew back. "Los Lobos."

A bright blue light surrounded Starrk. Ukitake and Shunsui raised their hands above their eyes and squinted.

The light faded away. Starrk now wore his gray fur lined jacket and knee high leggings. He clutched two pistols.

Starrk glanced down at one of the pistols. "Get ready, Lilynette."

"I am."

Ukitake and Shunsui looked taken aback. "The gun can talk?" Shunsui asked.

"These guns are Lilynette," Starrk explained. "This is our second form. All of the Espada have one."

Shunsui smirked. "Looks like you're getting serious. I guess I should too." He took off his straw hat and tossed it to the ground.

"You really seem to enjoy stripping," Starrk said.

Shunsui laughed. "Only around women. I just don't want anything to get in the way." His face became slightly more serious. "Let's begin."

_Cero Metralleta. _Starrk pressed the trigger of his pistols, sending a mass of Ceros at Shunsui and Ukitake. The two captains managed to dodge all of them.

The Ceros blasted a building. Debris scattered everywhere.

"Bushogoma!" Shunsui rotated his body. Two wind blades materialized, joined together and circled around Starrk, just like a tornado.

"Takaoni!" Shunsui jumped above Starrk.

Starrk calmly pointed his pistol up at him and pulled the trigger.

As the Cero was fired at Shunsui, Ukitake moved in front of him and pointed his left blade at the Cero.

_I saw you coming, Ukitake. Cero Metralleta._

A barrage of blue Ceros shot from the pistol. Shunsui and Ukitake were too close to dodge.

The area where Shunsui and Ukitake were exploded.

Starrk fired at the wind spinning around him. As the winds disappeared, Starrk flash stepped away from the range of the explosion.

"We beat them, Starrk," Lilynette said.

Starrk didn't reply. He stared at the giant cloud of smoke.

A faint blue light poked out of the gray. It quickly grew larger and brighter.

Starrk's gray-blue eyes widened as he narrowly avoided a massive Cero.

When the smoke cleared , Starrk saw a scratched up Ukitake and Shunsui. Ukitake coughed and collapsed onto the roof top of a nearby building.

"How?" Starrk asked.

Shunsui glanced at Ukitake, then at Starrk. "I used Bushogoma to deflect some of those attacks, which caused the explosion. Jushiro used his shikai ability to absorb the rest of them. Normally, Jushiro would be just fine after an attack like that. However, Koriyama sucked up a large portion of our spiritual pressure. Jushiro is exhausted."

"Shikai?"

"All Soul Reapers wield a zanpakuto. Every zanpakuto has a spirit. If a Soul Reaper can learn the name of that spirit, they will achieve shikai. In a way, it's like your second form."

Starrk's eyes narrowed. His gut told him that Shunsui was hiding something. "Anything else you'd like to tell me?"

Shunsui laughed. "Perceptive, aren't you? Yes, a zanpakuto has another ability: bankai. When the zanpakuto spirit submits to the Soul Reaper, the Soul Reaper will achieve bankai. It's more similar to your second form than shikai in terms of power. However, it's very difficult to achieve. As far as I know, the only people who have achieved bankai are captains."

"I showed you my second release form, so why don't you show me your bankai?" Starrk asked.

Shunsui shook his head. "I'd rather not. However…" Shunsui glanced at the unconscious Ukitake. "It seems like I have to try a little harder."

* * *

Momo Hinamori panted as she observed the battle. All around her, her comrades were dying. She had to help them.

Momo began to sit up.

"Hinamori-kun, you're not fully healed yet. Please be more patient," Lieutenant Izuru Kira said. Izuru was a Kido expert so his job was to heal the wounded.

"I'm fine, Kira! Please let me go and help someone else."

"Just wait a little longer!" Izuru's tone sounded more pleading than firm. Momo sighed and waited.

Izuru slowly took his hand off the wound on Momo's stomach. The yellow light surrounding his hand faded.

"OK Hinamori-kun, you may go now. Be careful!"

"I know," Momo said. "You be careful too."

Momo stood up and picked up her zanpakuto, Tobiume. She ran deeper into the city.

Before Momo could fly up, she saw an incredibly familiar person standing in front of her. Momo gasped in realization.

It was as if she was staring at her own reflection. The girl had the same brown eyes and wore a black kimono. Her black hair was also pulled up into a bun tied by a light green cloth.

"Momo" smiled wickedly at her. "Hello…Momo."

"W-who are you?" Momo stuttered.

The clone cackled. "Are you blind? I'm _you_."

"But how?"

"Do I have to repeat myself? I'm _you._ The _real_ Hinamori Momo. At least, Master told me I will be once I get rid of you. Until then, I'm Momo-ni."

Momo's grip on Tobiume tightened. "Even if you kill me, you can never become the real me. Your master is just manipulating you."

Momo-ni's face contorted. "Shut the fuck up! I'm stronger and smarter and deserve more than you do. Once you're gone, everyone will see me as the better Hinamori Momo. Especially Shiro-chan."

Anger welled up in Momo. "Nobody can call him Shiro-chan but me! Snap, Tobiume!"

Tobiume's blade straightened. Two jutte-like prongs stuck out of it. Momo swung Tobiume and hurled a fire ball at Momo-ni.

Momo-ni jumped out of range. "Not good enough," she sneered. "Let me enlighten you about strength. Snap, Tobiume!"

Momo-ni swung a zanpakuto identical to Tobiume and released an exploding fire ball.

* * *

Ichigo winced as an arrow grazed his cheek. A tiny stream of blood flowed out of the scratch.

"You're really beginning to bore me, ," Masaki said. "I'm very disappointed in you, _son_."

For a moment, Ichigo felt ashamed at himself. Then he remembered that this…this _thing_ was not his mother.

"Don't call me that," Ichigo growled.

Masaki drew her bow.

Reacting quickly, Ichigo veered to one side. He charged at Masaki and slashed.

Masaki easily dodged.

"Too slow," Masaki said. She pointed the bow at him and released the arrow. Ichigo knocked away the arrow with Zangetsu just in time.

"When are you going to start fighting seriously?" Masaki asked.

Ichigo glared at Masaki and then smirked. "Now."

Ichigo pointed Zangetsu at Masaki. His free hand grabbed his wrist.

"Bankai."

**Review please! This is my first fanfic and I would like to know how to improve it. Thank you! xoxo**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Bankai."

Zangetsu's blade narrowed. The black, curved tip glowed as the sun reflected off it.

Masaki laughed. "That little thing is your bankai? It looks like a regular zanpakuto." An arrow materialized in her hand. "Oh well, I guess that's what happens when you've only trained for two days."

Ichigo ignored Masaki's comment. His grip on Zangetsu tightened. Ichigo didn't think it was possible to feel more powerful than he did now. He spiritual pressure felt even more overwhelming than before.

"Come at me, _son_. Let's see the power of your so-called bankai."

Ichigo smirked. "Didn't I tell you to not call me that?"

Ichigo charged at Masaki with unimaginable speed that surprised Ichigo. Even Masaki looked taken aback.

Ichigo aimed a blow at her head, but in the last moment, Masaki pulled out a knife. The knife snapped in half as soon as it made contact with Zangetsu. The top half spun around in the air. Masaki quickly stepped out of range, dodging the attack. Ichigo was not bothered by this. Instead, he flash stepped behind Masaki and swung Zangetsu.

Masaki had anticipated that move. "Blut Vene."

A faint pattern traced the veins of Masaki's arm as Ichigo slashed it. Ichigo's eyes widened. There was not a single scratch on Masaki's skin.

Masaki flash stepped away. "You look so confused, _son._ Do you need me to explain?"

"Stop calling me 'son.' You're not my mother."

"Ouch, that hurt more than your attack." Ichigo detected sarcasm in Masaki's voice. "Anyways, allow me to enlighten you about the Quincy race. As I said before, a Quincy is a human with spiritual pressure. We have the ability to absorb spiritual pressure from the atmosphere and form weapons. Another ability we have is Blut. It grants the user inhuman offensive and defensive capabilities. Your bankai is stronger than I imagined, Ichigo, but it is no match for my Blut Vene."

Before Masaki could commend Ichigo for his determination, Ichigo flash stepped right in from of her. Masaki's eyes widened as the tip of Zangetsu's blade touched her chin. She flash stepped away, a bead of sweat rolled down her forehead.

"Behind you."

Masaki whirled around. Ichigo stood behind her with a calm look pasted on his face.

_How? He shouldn't be this fast!_ Masaki flew back and raised her hand. An arrow materialized in it.

"Oh no you don't!" Ichigo charged at her and swung his sword.

Masaki fired the arrow at Ichigo. The impact from the arrow against Zangetsu sent him back.

_My bankai raised my stats by a lot, but I still can't ignore the fact that this crystal ball sucked up everyone's spiritual pressure._

Ichigo narrowed his eyes as Masaki nocked another arrow. _I have to find an opening._

Masaki drew her bow and let go of the arrow. Thanks to his bankai, Ichigo could dodge the arrow much more easily. He flash stepped towards her and slashed at Masaki. A sword formed in Masaki's hands and blocked the attack.

_I have to find an opening._

* * *

Orihime trembled as she watched the battle above her. Clouds of bloody mist burst from the Soul Reapers that were effortlessly cut down. Orihime desperately wanted to heal them, but her feet were glued to the ground.

Another Soul Reaper cried in agony as his arm was ripped off. The blood splattered onto the ground right in front of Orihime.

_Move, Orihime, move! Don't just stand there, help!_

But Orihime couldn't move.

Orihime licked her lips. As her tongue touched the corners of her mouth, she tasted salt.

Orihime hadn't realized that she was crying.

Somebody moaned. Orihime's head snapped down. Dragging himself towards her was a Soul Reaper with a tattoo of the number 69 on his cheek.

His right arm and left leg were missing.

"H-help," he croaked. Blood trickled out of his mouth as he spoke.

Orihime's body felt numb. _Move already!_

_Orihime, you can do this._ The voice in her head was her brother's.

_Orihime, you're a strong girl. You can do this. You can help him._

_I can help him._

Orihime took a deep breath and walked towards the man. She kneeled down beside him and shakily put her hand over his wounds.

Someone kicked Orihime's side. Orihime gasped as she heard a crunch sound and rolled down the street.

When she stopped rolling, Orihime clutched her side, she was sure something was broken, and looked up. She immediately recognized that shock of blue hair.

"Fucking bitch!" Grimmjow spat. "Master and I told you what would happen if you betrayed us, but you refused to listen! You're going to die a slow, painful death!"

Time seemed to slow down as Grimmjow charged at her with his teeth bared. Orihime shut her eyes and waited for death to come.

It didn't.

When Orihime opened her eyes, a guy with shaggy black hair stood in front of her. His zanpakuto had stopped Grimmjow's.

"Ulquiorra!"

Grimmjow's lip curled. "I knew you always cared about her." There was a venom in his tone that Orihime had never heard before. She always got the vibe that Ulquiorra and Grimmjow never got along, but she hadn't realized how much they hated each other.

Ulquiorra was silent.

"What do you see in that slut anyway? She's weak and she's human. Why choose her if you could have Tier or Nelliel? They have huge tits too."

"You disgust me," Ulquiorra replied.

Grimmjow snarled and stepped back. "I can't take it anymore, Ulquiorra. I can't look at your face or hear your voice anymore. You…I'm going to rip you apart now even if I die trying!"

Grimmjow lunged at Ulquiorra. As their zanpakutos clashed, Orihime remembered about the injured Soul Reaper.

Orihime ran back to him. "I reject."

A yellow shield circled the area where his arm used to be.

_He'll die of blood loss if I don't heal quick. I have to make the Soten Kesshun bigger._

But no matter how hard Orihime concentrated, the Soten Kesshun wouldn't expand. The man's head slumped.

"No, no, stay awake! You have to stay awake!" Orihime pleaded. The man's breath shallowed. Tears pricked Orihime's eyes. This man was going to die all because she couldn't save him. _Don't be pessimistic. Just concentrate. _

"Oh screw it!" Orihime grabbed the sleeves or her dress and ripped them off. She sighed with relief when the Soten Kesshun expanded. The man seemed to be breathing more easily too.

He looked up at her and smiled weakly. "T-thank…"

"You don't have to thank me," Orihime said gently.

His eyes narrowed. "W-who are you…? I don't think I've ever s-seen you before…"

"My name is Inoue Orihime, I'm a student at Karakura High. What's your name?"

"Hisagi Shuhei."

Suddenly, Orihime heard a blast. She turned and saw that a building had been destroyed. Ulquiorra and Grimmjow were still locked in battle with each other. Gulping, Orihime watched.

* * *

"Hey Ulquiorra, if Master made you _perfect_ then how come you haven't killed me yet?" Grimmjow sneered.

"I prefer not to kill the weak," Ulquiorra replied calmly. Although he kept his usual aloof expression, deep down Ulquiorra was slightly nervous. How was Grimmjow able to block all of his attacks? How did he dodge his Cero? Ulquiorra remembered how he had beaten Grimmjow so easily during training. What happened?

Ulquiorra brought his zanpakuto down on Grimmjow. This time, it cut Grimmjow's shoulder.

Grimmjow snarled and stepped back. "Even if you aren't perfect," he said, "You're still officially the strongest Espada. Although it kills me to admit it, I can't beat you in this form."

Grimmjow held up his zanpakuto. "Grind, Pantera."

A gust of wind encompassed Grimmjow. Ulquiorra heard Orihime gasp when the wind disappeared.

Grimmjow's hands turned into black claws. He had a whip-like tail and wore a white segmented armor. His blue hair was much longer and flowed in the wind.

Grimmjow cut his palm and turned it towards Ulquiorra. "Eat this, Ulquiorra! Gran Rey Cero!"

A giant blue Cero fired from Grimmjow's bleeding palm. Ulquiorra veered to one side and avoided the attack.

Grimmjow fired another Gran Rey Cero. Ulquiorra managed to dodge again, but barely. The Cero grazed his shoulder, tearing his jacket.

"You don't look as confident, Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow crowed.

Ulquiorra lifted up his zanpakuto. "Enclose, Murciélago."

Green and black spiritual energy surrounded Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra closed his eyes. He could feel his spiritual pressure run through every molecule in his body. It felt like a searing fire was growing inside of him. The power Ulquiorra felt was exhilarating.

Once the energy around him vanished, Ulquiorra heard another shocked gasp from Orihime.

Large black wings that resembled those of a bat protruded from his back. His relatively short hair was longer, though not as long as Grimmjow's. Ulquiorra wore a robe instead of his jacket and hakama.

Grimmjow gaped at Ulquiorra. Taking advantage of Grimmjow's daze, Ulquiorra charged at him and slashed. Grimmjow roared in anger as blood spurted from his chest. Eyes blazing, Grimmjow swung his zanpakuto. Ulquiorra easily deflected. Grimmjow continued to swing. His movements were fast, but Ulquiorra was able to block them. Grimmjow's attacks were all random. He was being too impulsive.

_That is one of your many weaknesses, Grimmjow._

Grimmjow stepped back and fired another Gran Rey Cero. Ulquiorra was about to dodge when out of the corner of his eye, he saw Orihime healing a Soul Reaper. If he moved, the Cero would hit Orihime and her life would definitely end.

Ulquiorra raised his zanpakuto to deflect the Gran Rey Cero. The Cero seemed to weigh several tons as it slammed against Murciélago.

Grunting with effort, Ulquiorra pushed the Cero back. He intended to use a counter attack against Grimmjow, but Grimmjow was no longer standing where he was before.

Ulquiorra froze when he sensed Grimmjow's spiritual pressure behind him.

"Surprise!" Grimmjow said and stabbed Ulquiorra.

* * *

Jinta Hanakari beckoned Ururu Tsumugiya to follow him.

"Where are we going?" Ururu asked.

"I'm looking for someone to fight." Jinta pointed at a figure standing not too far from them. "That guy looks strong. Let's fight him!"

Ururu nodded slowly. "What's the plan?"

"You attack first. Once he's distracted, I'll shoot him with my gun."

"Ok?" Ururu's unsure look annoyed Jinta. He bit his lip to prevent himself from screaming at Ururu.

Ururu charged at the figure, a skeleton like person wearing a blue cloak. Jinta sniffed when he saw the crown on the man's head. _We're in a battle and this guy thinks he can just waltz in and pretend he's a king? I hope Ururu punches his head and knocks some sense into him._

Jinta flew below the enemy and watched as Ururu aimed a kick. For some reason, Ururu's movements seemed to slow down once she was near him. The enemy easily dodged. Jinta bit his lip. He wanted to yell at Ururu for slacking but knew it would ruin his genius plan.

The figure flash stepped right behind Ururu and poked her right shoulder with an extremely bony hand. _Man this guy looks like he could actually be a skeleton. But why would he just poke Ururu?_

Suddenly, Ururu let out a cry. Her right arm had gone limp…almost as if her arm was broken.

Jinta was shocked. All the guy did was poke her, how could Ururu's arm be broken? Jinta pointed his giant gun at the skeleton guy. He pressed the trigger.

The guy pointed at the bullets racing towards him. "Respira."

A purple substance shot from his hand. Jinta leaped out of range.

"AHHHH!" The familiar scream sent chills down Jinta's spine.

"Ururu!" Jinta called.

The purple substance had hit Ururu's side. Jinta watched in horror as Ururu's body began to rot.

"URURU!"

Ururu's flesh had peeled off. Now, she was just bones. Jinta watched in horror as the bones fell from the sky. They disintegrated before they hit the ground.

Jinta's vision went blurry. It took him a moment to realize that he was crying. Normally, Jinta would've scolded himself for being weak but now, he didn't care. Ururu, the only person around Jinta's age who was his friend, who always listened to him, who was never angry at him, who was always there for him when no one else was.

And now, Ururu was dead.

And it was his fault.

Jinta remembered the unsure look Ururu gave him. Ururu knew the plan wasn't good, why didn't she speak up? Why didn't she tell him to come up with a different plan?

"FUCK!" Jinta cried at the top of his lungs. He glared the man, whom Jinta was now convinced was a skeleton. The skeleton was laughing.

"Your friend was so weak, and I bet you're just as weak as her!"

"I'LL RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!" Jinta charged at the skeleton.

He felt someone grab his arm and pull him back.

"Sorry we couldn't make it in time, we didn't know you two were here," Yoruichi said. Tessai flanked her.

"Sit out of this battle, Jinta," Yoruichi said. "Let the adults take care of him."

"N-no! He killed Ururu! I want to help!"

"Let him help, Yoruichi," Tessai said. "It's his battle, too."

Yoruichi tugged the bottom of her black strapless shirt. "I guess, but Jinta, if the battle starts to get too rough, promise me you'll leave."

"I promise," Jinta lied. "And I mean it too."

"No you don't," Yoruichi said.

"Are you four going to just stand there and converse? Or are we going to fight?"

Yoruichi smirked. "I'd prefer the former, but we have no choice. Before we fight, may I ask for your name? I'm Shihoin Yoruichi."

"Barragan Louisenbarn, now take your stance and prepare to die."

* * *

Masaki fired a flurry of arrows at Ichigo.

Ichigo twisted and turned. He felt a searing pain when one of the arrows pierced through his shoulder. Ichigo made a sound that sounded like a mix between a cough and a gag. Ichigo grabbed the arrow and ripped it out. The pain intensified as the arrow ripped out bits of flesh. Blood gushed out of the wound.

Masaki cackled. "You seem to be in pain."

Ichigo smiled at Masaki. "Is that the best you can do? This…this is nothing!"

"You're very brave, son. If you want me to show you the full extent of my power, then I will. You won't regret it. Blut Arterie."

Masaki's arteries glowed. She drew her bow. "Let's see if you can dodge this, _son_."

Masaki flew above Ichigo and pointed her bow down at him. A flurry of arrows rained on Ichigo.

Ichigo dodged and flash stepped next to Masaki. He slashed, but Masaki casually used her arm to block the attack. Her veins glowed. Masaki punched his injured shoulder.

Ichigo noticed the inhuman strength in the punch before the extreme pain. Ichigo's vision blurred and he saw red.

Before losing consciousness, Ichigo made out the faint outline of an old man with a long beard charging at Masaki.

**Review please! This is my first fan fiction and I would like to know how I can improve it. Thank you! xoxo**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Is that everyone?" Tatsuki shouted. She flinched when she heard another explosion.

"I think so! Now let's get the fuck out of here!" Keigo shouted back.

"Wait!" Mizuiro put his hand behind his ear. "I-I think I hear someone."

Tatsuki shut her eyes and strained her ears. She heard the clanking of metal against metal and the boom of buildings being destroyed but no-wait! It was a faint sound, but Tatsuki could make out the sound of a child crying.

"This way!" Tatsuki swung her arm, ushering Keigo and Mizuiro to follow her. The trio sprinted to a nearby alley. Sitting against the concrete wall was a little girl who couldn't have been older than the age of ten. Her black hair was tied up into pigtails with pink bows. Her motherly instinct taking over, Tatsuki kneeled down beside the child and wiped away her tears.

"Shh don't cry, everything's going to be alright," Tatsuki cooed. The girl didn't stop crying. Instead, she threw her arms around Tatsuki and held her tight.

Tatsuki picked up the girl. "Where's your mother?"

"I-I don't know!" The girl wailed.

Something crashed into the window of a nearby building. Shards of glass as fine as drops of rain showered onto the ground.

"Tatsuki, we have to get out of Karakura now!" Keigo said.

"I know! But it's too dangerous to just run out into the open!" Tatsuki poked her head out of the alley. Everyone seemed to be battling in the sky instead of the ground.

"Which way is the closest way out, left or right?"

"Left, I think," Mizuiro said.

Tatsuki said to the little girl, "Ok, I need you to close your eyes. We'll get out of here in no time!"

The little girl nodded and buried her face into Tatsuki's shoulder.

"Run, run run!" Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro sprinted out of the alley and down the road. Tatsuki felt the girl tremble as more buildings exploded. _Damn, it almost feels like an apocalypse. _

Suddenly, a man with pink hair and purple tentacles appeared in front of them. Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro skidded to a halt.

The man smiled wickedly. "Trying to run away? That's not very brave of you."

"Please let us through," Tatsuki said. "We don't want to fight. We're humans!"

"Humans? But you three can see me. Interesting."

Tatsuki handed the little girl to Mizuiro. "Mizuiro, take this girl out of Karakura."

"But-"

"_Now."_

Mizuiro hesitated and ran the other way.

"Oh no you don't!" One of the man's tentacles reached out for Mizuiro. Tatsuki leaped in front of it. The tentacle wrapped around her body so tightly that Tatsuki could barely breath. Her ribcage and arms felt as if they were being crushed.

"Tatsuki!" Keigo picked up a large piece of rubble and threw it at the tentacle. It bounced off harmlessly.

The man laughed. "Unfortunately for you guys, I can only be hurt by spiritual pressure based attacks." He stared at Tatsuki. "Tatsuki? What a fun name to say. TAT. Su. Ki. My name is Szayelaporro Granz. Too long for you? You can just call me Szayel."

Szayel brought Tatsuki up close. Their faces were only inches apart. "Your hair is too short for my liking, but you're actually quite attractive up close."

Tatsuki glared at him. "Why you-"

"Do you like acting?" Szayel suddenly asked. "I _love_ acting. It's my passion. Would you help me perform in a little play?"

"No."

"Wonderful! I get to play as the prince and you get to be the princess."

Keigo threw another piece of rubble at Szayel. This time, he aimed for his face.

Szayel chuckled as it bounced off his cheek. "That tickled! What's your name, boy?"

"Like you need to know!" Keigo snapped.

"Rude, much? I'll just call you 'Yajuu.' You get to be the monster that kidnaps the princess and gets killed by me."

"NO!" Tatsuki spat at Szayel. Szayel didn't even blink. He calmly wiped the spit off his nose.

"That's not very elegant of you, Princess Tatsuki." He paused. "Tell me princess, do you know what happens when you don't behave?"

Tatsuki said nothing.

"You get _punished._" All of a sudden, Szayel threw Tatsuki on the ground. She felt a jolt in her spine as her back bounced off the road. She lost sensation in her body.

"YOU BASTARD!" Keigo charged at Szayel.

_Baka, don't attack him! Run! _Tatsuki wanted to say.

Szayel casually knocked Keigo aside with a tentacle. Tatsuki watched in horror as Keigo rolled across the street and slammed into a streetlight.

Keigo lay still for a moment before shakily getting up. "YOU HAVEN'T KILLED ME YET!" He charged at Szayel again.

Tears brimmed Tatsuki's eyes as Keigo continued to be knocked away over and over again. _Baka, why don't you just run? Why get yourself hurt so many times? For what? For Karakura? Or because Szayel hurt me? Do you want to die?_

Blood trickled out of the cuts on Keigo's face and body. Breathing hard, Keigo charged again, his bloody right hand raised into a fist. Szayel pulled out a sword and slashed across Keigo's chest.

_Keigo!_ Tatsuki watched as blood streamed out of Keigo's chest. Her heart lurched.

"_And with the most powerful zanpakuto, Fornicarás, Prince Szayelaporro Granz slay the evil Yajuu_."

Suddenly, an anger flared through her body, so hot that Tatsuki felt as if she were on fire. Hands shaking with rage, Tatsuki stood up. She was regaining sensation in her body.

Szayel turned to her. "Ah, art thou all right, Princess Tatsuki?"

Tatsuki responded with a roundhouse kick to the face. Her foot throbbed when it made contact. Szayel's skin seemed to be made out of iron.

Szayel laughed. "I barely felt that, but I could tell that you posses more strength a typical human. A human girl with spiritual pressure and great strength…oh how much fun it would be to experiment on you!"

"You sick bastard! I'd rather die than become on of your specimens!" Tatsuki punched Szayel in the gut. A bone in her hand snapped. Tatsuki flinched and cradled her broken hand.

Szayel's tentacle wrapped around Tatsuki's body. He turned her body so that her body faced down. Tatsuki looked up at him.

"You'd rather die? I suppose I can grant your wish. I can still do something with your body." Szayel flashed Tatsuki a lecherous smile. "But before I kill you, how about we finish the play? You know how fairy tales end. _And the prince and the princess kissed and lived happily ever after."_

Tatsuki's eyes widened. She squirmed desperately to free herself as Szayel slowly brought her face closer to his. Her efforts were all in vain.

_Shit._ Tatsuki closed her eyes. _This bastard is going to take my first kiss and kill me. Sorry Orihime…Ichigo, my title as second strongest girl in Japan failed me._

"Getsuga Tensho!"

Blue spiritual energy sliced through the tentacle that ensnared Tatsuki. Tatsuki fell onto the ground and shook free from the tentacle as Szayel gaped at her. She looked up.

Her savior looked so familiar yet so unrecognizable at the same time. He had that same spiky black hair and brown eyes. However, instead of wearing a white lab coat, he wore a black kimono. He also held a sword.

"Kurosaki-san?"

Isshin Kurosaki, Ichigo's dad, smiled at Tatsuki.

"Tatsuki! Keigo!" Mizuiro was running towards them.

"Did Mizuiro bring you here?" Tatsuki asked Isshin.

Isshin nodded. "He came with a little girl and said you two were in trouble. I asked a neighbor to look over the girl and Karin and Yuzu."

All of a sudden, Szayel appeared next to Isshin. Before Tatsuki could warn Isshin, Isshin turned and blocked Szayel's sword with his. Calmly, Isshin let go of his sword with one hand and flicked Szayel. Tatsuki watched in amazement as Szayel flipped in the air and crashed through a building. _Holy shit, is this really the same person who told Karin to leap joyously onto his bosom?_

"Ta-Tatsuki." Mizuiro's voice broke Tatsuki's train of thought. Remembering Keigo, Tatsuki ran to Mizuiro who knelt down beside Keigo. She sat next to him.

"Is he…alright?" Tatsuki asked.

Mizuiro wrapped his jacket around Keigo's chest. "He's alive but he lost a lot of blood. We need to get help."

"Ugh…" Keigo's eyes fluttered open. "Mi-Mizuiro, is Tatsuki alright?"

Mizuiro smiled weakly. "Yeah, she's alright."

"Good. I don't know what I'd do…" Keigo coughed out blood. "I don't know what I'd do if she-if I lost her."

Tatsuki felt a blush rise in her cheeks. Since when did Keigo care so much about her? Tatsuki was always used to boys (and Chizuru) drooling over Orihime, specifically Keigo "Obsessed With Boobs" Asano. Tatsuki's chest wasn't flat but compared to Orihime's, it was like a piece of cardboard.

The sound of an explosion blasted through Tatsuki's ears. Her head jerked up. Szayel was staring at Isshin, his lips making an 'o' shape. His body evaporated into tiny sparkles. Isshin nodded at Tatsuki and Mizuiro.

"You two stay here and protect Keigo while I go get help."

"But what if another monster attacks us!" Mizuiro demanded.

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon." Isshin took off.

Tatsuki glanced back down at Keigo. His breaths were shallow and his eyes were glassy. Tatsuki waved her hand in front of Keigo's face.

"Hey Keigo it's me, Tatsuki. Please try to stay awake and no matter what, stay away from a white light!"

"Tell him something interesting," Mizuiro said. "That would keep him awake."

Tatsuki felt dizzy as she tried to come up with a topic that would pique Keigo's interest. "You know, I had hot sex with Orihime once."

"What?" Keigo and Mizuiro's faces turned red.

"Yeah we lost our virginities to each other! Uh, Orihime's boobs were even bigger without her clothes on! Turns out that Orihime always wears sports bras to make her boobs look smaller." _Kami, I hope they forget about this._

"Then what h-happened?" Keigo mumbled groggily.

_Pervert._ "Uh we fingered and licked each other and made each other moan A LOT and um…"

Blood trickled out of Keigo and Mizuiro's noses. Tatsuki couldn't believe it. She wasn't surprised that Keigo believed her but Mizuiro?

"Keigo!" Isshin flew down with a woman. She had a huge braid tied down in the front. The woman crouched down beside Keigo and formed a yellow shield around him. The wounds slowly began to close.

Tatsuki felt like crying tears of joy.

* * *

Momo swung Tobiume. Like a reflection, Momo-ni did the same. "Snap, Tobiume!" The two girls cried.

The fire balls collided and exploded. Momo jumped into the smoke. Her intention was to catch Momo-ni by surprise. However, Momo-ni seemed to have anticipated her move. She easily blocked her attack.

The smoke faded away. Momo stepped back and charged. Momo-ni did the same. Their zanpakutos clashed with each other. Momo pushed with all her might, but Momo-ni would not budge. Momo-ni's strength was equivalent to hers. _Maybe I won't be able to beat her, but then she won't be able to defeat me either. _The thought comforted Momo, but only a little.

"Give up yet?" Confidence laced Momo-ni's tone, but Momo saw beads of sweat on Momo-ni's forehead. She was getting tired as well. The two of them had been dueling for about half an hour. Half an hour of the same movements, the same strategies and none of them were able to land a hit on each other. If someone was watching on the sidelines, they would probably have thought this battle was a synchronized dance performance.

"Only when I'm dead!" Momo said.

Momo-ni looked disgusted. "Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. Humans and Soul Reapers are all too hopeful. They think that as long as they keep trying, nothing can stop them. Why can't you see that you have no chance of winning, _Momo_?"

"Why can't you see that you can never replace me?" Momo shot back. "Even if I do end up dying, no one, including Shiro-chan, will think of you as the "real" Momo."

"Why not? I look just like you, I sound just like you, I have the same zanpakuto, I am you!" Momo-ni's lips curled up into a mean smile. "While you were investigating not too long ago, I snuck into Seireitei and pretended to be you."

Out of shock, Momo lost her strength. Momo-ni pushed her back, but Momo quickly regained her strength. "W-what?"

Momo-ni's smile grew. Her white teeth glinted. "I guess Shiro-chan didn't tell you. He was probably too ashamed to confess that he thought I was the real thing."

Momo's heart sank. "No…"

"Oh yes! He told me _everything_. Not once did he suspect that he was telling the enemy secrets."

"T-that can't be! I've known Shiro-chan ever since childhood. We're best friends! He must've known! You're…you're lying!" Even as the words spilled out, Momo knew that Momo-ni was telling the truth. The day she came back from the investigation, Shiro-chan's face turned white as his hair. He suddenly took her hand and ran to her room. The window was open and Shiro-chan looked shocked and guilty. When Momo asked what was wrong, Shiro-chan didn't even look her in the eye.

Momo leaped back. Momo-ni leaped back as well. Momo-ni swung her sword. "Snap, Tobiume!"

Quickly, Momo mirrored her action. "Snap, Tobiume!" The fire balls created another explosion.

_What should I do?_

Momo charged into the smoke and slashed. Her Tobiume slammed against Momo-ni's, emitting a _zing_ sound.

_Our strength is the same._

Momo and Momo-ni leaped back.

_Our speed is the same._

Momo charged with Tobiume pointed at Momo-ni. As expected, Momo-ni did the same.

_As expected._

Realization dawned on Momo. All of Momo-ni's actions…were actions Momo was _expected_ to do.

Momo closed her eyes and spread her arms, as if about to embrace Momo-ni. She felt her innards split as Momo-ni's zanpakuto slid through her abdomen.

Momo opened her eyes. Momo-ni was staring at her. Her brown eyes widened in shock.

"W-why did you do that? Do you really want to die?" Momo-ni asked.

Momo smiled at her. "No, not really."

The shocked expression remained on Momo-ni's face as Momo swung Tobiume as her head. Her skull cracked open like a peanut shell. Momo-ni and her Tobiume disintegrated.

Momo's smile disappeared. "I'm sorry," she murmured, "I know you just didn't want to be a copy anymore."

Suddenly, the pain from her wound hit her. Gasping, Momo fell to the floor and clutched her burning abdomen. She shut her eyes tightly and gritted her teeth.

"Hinamori!"

Momo opened her eyes and saw Rukia Kuchiki running towards her.

**Review please! This is my first fanfic and I would like to know how to improve it. Thank you! xoxo**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"Hinamori!" Rukia ran to the half conscious Hinamori. Carefully, Rukia picked her up and put Momo's arm around her.

"Kuchiki-san…" Momo began.

"Don't speak, Hinamori. Save your energy." Rukia's head turned frantically. Where was the 4th Division? They specialized in healing so they must have been stationed somewhere away from danger.

Momo's breaths shallowed. Her brown eyes dulled like a candle losing its flame.

"Shit!" Rukia gently placed Momo down on the street. She brought her hand above Momo's wound. Rukia's Kido skill was the highest of her class back at the Soul Reaper Academy. Although it became just average once she joined the Gotei 13, Rukia was sure that she could at least prevent Momo from dying. Then she remembered that almost all of her spiritual pressure was gone. Rukia couldn't do anything.

Suddenly, Rukia felt a rush of cold shoot up her spine. Rukia turned around, eyes widening when she recognized the handsome man.

Kaien Shiba stood about ten feet away. He waved at her. "Yo, long time no see, Rukia!"

"I-impossible," Rukia stammered. "You're dead!"

Kaien laughed. "I almost forgot that you murdered me! But guess what? I'm back from the dead!"

"M-murdered you…back from the dead?!"

"Aw, don't be disappointed Rukia! Be happy that your mentor is alive!" Kaien's lips smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. There was something dark about the way Kaien looked at Rukia.

Rukia said calmly, "You are not Shiba Kaien. I-I killed him many years ago."

Kaien sighed. "You still don't believe me?" He unsheathed a zanpakuto. "I'll prove it to you, Surge Waters, Nejibana."

Kaien twirled his zanpakuto. It glowed and transformed into a trident. Water flowed from the trident and the end. Rukia was suddenly reminded of that American movie she saw with Ichigo and his family a few weeks ago.

_Under the sea, under the sea_

_Everything is better down where it's wetter, take it from me._

Rukia blocked the catchy song out of her mind. Now was not the time to think about cartoons.

"You really are Kaien, aren't you?" Rukia murmured.

Kaien laughed. "Of course I am silly!"

"Then why are you wearing the enemy's uniform?" Rukia challenged.

Kaien brushed his white dress garb. "I think it's very fashionable. Besides, the ''enemy'' side is going to win. Join us, Rukia."

"No!" Rukia said firmly. "My loyalty lies with the Gotei 13. Yours should too."

"Foolish Rukia, you'll die if you follow those weaklings."

"Those ''weaklings" are my friends! They're your friends too! Captain Ukitake…Miyako-san…"

Kaien winced. "Do not talk about my wife in front of me." He twirled Nejibana. "Oh well, if you refuse to join, then I suppose I'll just have to kill you."

Kaien swung Nejibana. A giant wave cascaded towards Rukia.

Rukia felt hands wrap around her waist. Her body felt light as she was lifted up into the air. Rukia looked down as the wave washed away a shiny car. From up here, the car looked like a toy.

The ground suddenly appeared bigger. Rukia realized that she was coming down.

The person who saved Rukia grunted with effort as they landed.

Rukia turned around and saw an exhausted Momo. Rukia had forgotten she was there.

Momo's body wavered. Rukia caught her before she hit the ground.

Kaien laughed, no, _cackled._ "You're completely useless without your spiritual pressure."

Fast as lightning, Kaien charged at Rukia. Rukia felt a cold, sharp pain in her gut as if she was being stabbed by ice. She tasted blood in her mouth.

Kaien snickered. Amusement danced in his eyes like fire. "Sayonara, Rukia."

* * *

_Voices…I hear voices…calling for me…_

_A quiet voice echoed through the dark world Ichigo was floating in. Ichigo had never felt so relaxed before._

_Ichigo slowly opened his eyes. He couldn't see anything at all, or maybe darkness was the only thing he _could_ see._

_The voice echoed again. Ichigo closed his eyes._

_"Kurosaki…Ichigo." Now that Ichigo thought about it, the voice sounded suspiciously like Rukia's._

_Suddenly, Ichigo felt a heat so intense that he wasn't on fire, he _was_ fire. Ichigo opened his mouth to scream, but no noise came out._

_Like a shooting star, Ichigo shot through the darkness. The last thing Ichigo saw was a blinding light._

Ichigo's eyes snapped open. Heat pricked his skin and eyes like needles. Thousands of sharp, burning needles.

Is there a substance that scorches more than fire?

Ichigo suddenly realized why he was so hot. Standing in front of Masaki was the old man that led the Soul Reaper army. Ichigo couldn't remember his name. The man and Masaki were surrounded by pillars of fire.

"This ends now!" The man roared. He moved so fast that Ichigo's eyes couldn't keep up with him. Masaki seemed to have trouble catching up as well. The only thing keeping her alive was that defensive technique of hers.

_I should help the old man,_ Ichigo thought. As he stood up, Ichigo felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He remembered the wound Masaki inflicted. Ignoring the pain, Ichigo flew up. Ichigo stopped in front of the fire prison. How was he going to get through without burning himself?

"AHHH!" Masaki had successfully driven a knife into the old man's chest. She ripped it out, causing the man to cry out again.

"Even you are weakened by the lack of spiritual pressure, Yamamoto Shigekuni Genryusai," Masaki murmured.

Yamamoto clutched his chest. The flame pillars slowly began to die out. He glanced at Masaki calmly. "If Koriyama had decided to fight fairly, you would've died a lot sooner."

"But he didn't," Masaki said. "Blut Arterie." An arrow materialized in her palms. She nocked it and drew her bow. "Goodbye, Yamamoto."

Ichigo flash stepped behind Masaki and slashed her back. Masaki didn't make a sound but Ichigo knew she was shocked.

A blue light glowed from her wound.

* * *

"Sayonara, Rukia," Kaien said.

All of a sudden, Rukia felt lightning shoot through her. Instead of being in pain, however, Rukia felt energized. Rukia felt her zanpakuto, Sode no Shirayuki, materialize in her hand. Before Kaien could react, Rukia impaled Kaien with Sode no Shirayuki. She dragged it up, splitting Kaien's face into two.

A red liquid that wasn't blood gushed out. Two small skulls poured out with the liquid. They screeched before evaporating. Nejibana evaporated, too, leaving three holes in Rukia's gut. Rukia's gut stung, but the pain seemed so distant. Her happiness was overpowering it.

Rukia had regained enough spiritual pressure to battle.

And to heal Momo.

"Hinamori!" Rukia crouched down beside Momo, who also seemed to have regained some spiritual pressure. Rukia placed her hand above Momo's wound and began to heal her.

Momo smiled at Rukia. "Arigato Kuchiki-san."

"No, thank _you_, Hinamori."

"_You_!"

Rukia whirled around. Hayate Koriyama stood five feet away from Rukia with a zanpakuto in his hands. His chest was stained with brick red blood. How he had survived the attack from Ichigo's mother and how Rukia wasn't able to detect him was unknown.

"I designed him to resemble your precious Kaien, you shouldn't have been able to kill him!" He raised his zanpakuto. "Not only that, you were the one who gave Ichigo Soul Reaper powers! If I'm going to die, I might as well take you down with me!"

Rukia heard the clean sound of a zanpakuto being driven through a body. But it wasn't her body.

Hayate's head rolled back as a zanpakuto slid out of his chest. He slumped to the ground, dead.

Rukia beamed when she recognized the pineapple head wearing a black kimono.

"Long time no see, Rukia!" Renji said.

* * *

"Let's play a game," Shunsui Kyoraku said. "Kageoni, you lose if your shadow gets stepped on. Takaoni, whoever is higher up wins."

"Is this what you think of killing? As a game?" Starrk asked.

"No but my zanpakuto does," Shunsui said. "Katen Kyokotsu's shikai ability is turning children's games into reality. She's the queen and if you're within the domain of her spiritual pressure, you must obey. If you win, you live. If you lose, you die. She's pretty selfish if you ask me."

"I really don't want to play games," Starrk said.

"Starrk, just go with it!" Lilynette hissed.

"Takaoni!"

Shunsui appeared above Starrk. Starrk flash stepped above Shunsui and fired a Cero at him. The ground exploded beneath him.

"You catch on fast!"

Starrk whirled around and saw Shunsui standing behind him.

"Let's go!" Lilynette exclaimed. A pack of wolves appeared behind Starrk and ran towards Shunsui. One of Starrk's techniques was splitting his and Lilynette's souls to create a wolf pack.

"Bushogoma!" Shunsui rotated his body. Starrk watched in horror as harsh winds sliced the wolf pack.

"Lilynette! Lilynette!" Starrk called out.

No answer.

"Lilynette…" Starrk's throat went dry. A pain Starrk had never felt before stabbed him. Lilynette had been like a sister to him and now she was gone.

"Irooni, gray!" Shunsui slashed Starrk's arm. The blade of Shunsui's zanpakuto sliced through his arm. Starrk drew back and checked his wound. It was just a cut, a cut that wasn't even deep enough to draw out blood.

"What is this?" Starrk asked.

Shunsui replied, "Irooni, a color based game. Your turn."

"Fine then, white!" Starrk flash stepped behind Shunsui and slashed his white haori. Blood trickled out of the wound.

Shunsui flinched and turned around. "Good job! You seemed to have figured out the rules of Irooni."

"Maybe but I don't understand why my wound is so shallow," Starrk said.

Shunsui hesitated for a moment. "Look at your outfit. What color is it?"

Starrk looked down. "White, black, and gray." Realization dawned on Starrk. "A lot of gray."

"Precisely. Gray is all over you. The rules of Irooni is to call out a color on the opponent. The riskier the color, the more critical the wound." Shunsui beckoned Starrk to come forward. "You can make your move."

Starrk swiped at Shunsui's haori. His blue gray eyes widened. The haori floated in the sky, but Shunsui wasn't there.

"Irooni, black!" Shunsui crouched before Starrk. He stabbed the black hole on Starrk's chest. A torrent of blood burst from the wound.

Starrk felt no pain as he plummeted from the sky.

_"Onee-chan!" A young girl with green hair and pink eyes ran up to a brown haired man. "Mama said that someone is wiping out the Quincy race. Do you think he'll come after me?" _

_The brown haired man patted her head. "Don't be scared, Yuri. You'll be safe."_

_"Really?"_

_"Yes really. I am your brother and no matter what, I will protect you."_

The light faded from Starrk's eyes. He was dead before he hit the ground.

* * *

"Hey Ulquiorra, you're slowing down! Don't tell me you're tired already!" Grimmjow jeered.

"What about you? You're not as quick as before," Ulquiorra said. He paused when he felt a wave of pain in his gut where Grimmjow stabbed him. "How is it that I defeated you so easily during the training session? I doubt you've gotten much stronger since that fight."

Grimmjow laughed. "Simple, I _let_ you win!"

"What?"

"My goal is to kill you, Ulquiorra. I purposely lost to you to make you think I was weak. Then, the next time we'd fight, you'd let your guard down."

"Coward, you're too scared to fight me at full strength?"

"If we were just fighting to show who's stronger then I'd want to fight you at full strength," Grimmjow said. "But this is different. I want to erase your existence no matter what, even if it means sinking to Master's level."

Ulquiorra flew above Grimmjow. "Too bad, Grimmjow, I will not go easy on you. Segunda Etapa."

Orihime watched as Ulquiorra was once again surrounded by green and black energy. The energy created strong gusts of wind that made Orihime's orange hair fly in all directions. Orihime covered her face.

The wind stopped. Orihime looked up and gasped. Ulquiorra barely looked human. He wore no clothes, revealing his pale torso. A black liquid oozed out of the hole on his chest. His waist, arms, and legs were covered with black fur.

But what disturbed Orihime the most were Ulquiorra's eyes. His irises were yellow and his sclera was green. There was a sharp, dangerous look in his eyes that Orihime had never seen before. His black wings spread further.

_He's like an angel from Hell._

Ulquiorra flew down fast and crossed swords with Grimmjow. He pushed Grimmjow back.

"Lanza del Relámpago," Ulquiorra said. A javelin-like weapon appeared in his hand. He thrust it at Grimmjow. Blood gushed out of Grimmjow's arm.

Grimmjow shrieked and cursed at Ulquiorra. All of a sudden, Grimmjow became silent. A psychotic grin formed on his face. "Fighting in your second release form, eh? Now _this_ is a real battle. Let me show you mine."

A tornado surrounded Grimmjow and then faded away. Grimmjow stood in the air with his whole body covered in blue fur. His eyes were more feral, more catlike.

"Impossible!" Ulquiorra said. "Only I have a second release form."

"Oh yeah cause Master made you _perfect_. Well guess what, Ulquiorra? I trained harder than all of the Espada combined. I worked to get this form. And now, I'm going to DESTROY you!"

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra crossed swords again.

"Inoue?"

Orihime glanced down at Shuhei. His wounds were healed, but his eyes were still clouded with exhaustion. "Yes, Hisagi-san?"

"Who exactly are they? Or better yet, what are they?"

Orihime looked back up. Ulquiorra and Grimmjow fired green and blue spiritual energy at each other, creating a deafening explosion.

"I don't know, I don't know."

* * *

Spiritual pressure was leaking out of Masaki's wound. Ichigo grinned.

"Looks like I just found out how to regain everyone's spiritual pressure!"

"You think you're clever, aren't you?" Masaki's tone was surprisingly calm. She slid her hand into her dress pocket and pulled out a small, shiny ball. She tossed it in the air and caught it with her mouth. As Masaki chewed, the wound began to close up.

"Did you really think a scientist like Hayate would come unprepared? In case I got injured, Hayate invented the Heeru Baru so that my wounds would heal immediately."

"What a troll," Ichigo said to himself. Suddenly, a question started nagging Ichigo. There was something strange about Ichigo being able to pierce Masaki's skin.

"How was I able to injure you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Weren't you using Blut Vene?" As he asked that question, Ichigo replayed the moment in his head.

_"Blut Arterie." An arrow materialized in her palms. She nocked it and drew her bow. "Goodbye, Yamamoto."_

_Ichigo flash stepped behind Masaki and slashed her back. _

Ichigo saw the light. Masaki smirked. "You figured it out, didn't you? I supposed I shouldn't be surprised. You are more intelligent than you seem. Blut Vene and Blut Arterie cannot be used at the same time."

"Knowing that will make it so much easier to fight you," Ichigo said.

"Not really." Masaki lifted her palm and a sword materialized in it.

Masaki flash stepped right in front of Ichigo with her sword raised. Reacting quickly, Ichigo blocked her attack.

Masaki drew back and her sword transformed into a bow and arrow. She drew her bow and said, "Blut Arterie." The arrow fired from her bow and emitted a sonic boom. Masaki watched as the impact of the arrow piercing Ichigo sent him crashing through a glass window. After waiting a moment, Masaki turned around.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Masaki froze and glanced back.

Ichigo flew out of the building. A shadow cast over his face, making it difficult to read his expression. He raised his head slowly.

Tracing the left cheek where the arrow had hit him, were a pattern of veins.

**Review please! This is my first fan fiction and I would like to know how to improve it. Thank you! xoxo**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Masaki blanched. "I-Impossible!"

"I thought seeing you again would be possible," Ichigo retorted. "But you're standing right in front of me."

"Touché," Masaki said. She drew her bow. "Your Quincy powers must have awakened. Oh well, it doesn't matter. I'll still kill you."

_Blut Arterie. _Ichigo flash stepped behind Masaki and slashed her back. Masaki inhaled sharply as blue spiritual pressure burst out in all directions. She flash stepped away and pulled out a Heeru Baru.

_Oh no you don't. _Ichigo flashed stepped in front of Masaki and sliced her hand off, causing another wave of spiritual pressure to lash out like a whip.

Masaki gawked at where her hand used to be and then stared into Ichigo's eyes.

That's when Ichigo _saw._

Behind Masaki's brown eyes, were nothing. Just a pool of chilling darkness that seemed to stretch for eternity. _Absolutely nothing._

This thing, just as Ichigo had expected, was not a living being. Just a killing machine that was harming his friends. A killing machine that Ichigo needed to destroy.

Masaki flash stepped away and pulled out another Heeru Baru with her remaining hand. She quickly shoved it into her mouth. Almost magically, her arm grew back. Spiritual pressure stopped leaking from her back.

"How many fucking Heeru Barus do you have?" Ichigo growled.

"I have enough," Masaki said. "Blut Arterie."

A sword materialized in her hand as she charged at Ichigo. The sound of metal rang through Ichigo's ears as their swords clashed. Masaki leaped above Ichigo swung her sword down. Ichigo easily blocked. _The combination of my Blut Arterie and bankai make me a cut above this thing in terms of speed, but how I am supposed to kill it?_

As if reading his mind, Yamamoto flew to Ichigo's side and said, "Don't worry youngster, I'll help you."

He raised his zanpakuto, which was engulfed in fire. Even though his spiritual pressure was decreasing, Ichigo could feel the overwhelming power of this man.

Suddenly, the flames on Yamamoto's zanpakuto disappeared. Yamamoto's eyes widened slightly.

Masaki's lips curled up into a devious smile.

Standing behind the man was a mutated body of a young boy. He smiled goofily at Yamamoto and drawled a few syllables just like an infant would.

"Meet Wonderweiss," Masaki said. "Wonderweiss was created just last night for one purpose: to seal your zanpakuto."

Multiple arms sprouted out of Wonderweiss' body. He emitted a deafening battle cry and charged at Yamamoto. As the two sparred, Masaki glanced at Ichigo.

"Don't you see, Ichigo? This battle was meant only for the two of us."

* * *

"H-HELP!"

Yasutora "Chad" Sado turned at saw a massive man holding up a Soul Reaper with short brown hair. The girl squirmed, but her efforts were futile.

"El Directo!" Chad punched in the direction of the man's arm. Blue spiritual energy shot out from the intricately designed black and magenta arm. The Brazo Derecha de Gigante was a contraption that Urahara had invented years ago.

"_Originally, I wanted to sell it to Soul Reapers that stopped by, but they either couldn't figure out how to use it or just didn't need it. A big, strong guy like you might have use of it. And you're ranked number eleven in your grade, I know you'll be able to figure it out."_

_"How did you know my ranking?"_

The El Directo bounced harmlessly off the giant's skin. The giant turned around, his eyes blazing and ugly face contorted with rage.

Tossing the Soul Reaper aside, he bellowed, "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!" His spit rained on Chad.

Chad raised his arms above his face. "My friends call me 'Chad.' Who are you?" Chad asked.

"YAMMY LLARGO! KNOW THIS CHAD! I. WILL. KILL. YOU!" Yammy raised a giant fist and smashed the ground. The road exploded underneath his fist, sending a storm of debris.

_Hulk Smash,_ Chad thought as he flew above the cloud of dust.

"CERO!" Red spiritual energy shot from the cloud. The range was too wide for Chad to avoid it.

"El Directo!" Chad's mind went blank when the Cero easily cut through the El Directo. A burning sword sliced through Chad. His vision went red. Chad felt light as he fell from the sky. Light as a bird…

_The winter air nipped at Chad's face. A silvery cloud trailed out of his nose and he inhaled and exhaled. Despite the cold temperature, Chad was boiling…with anger._

_"Abuelo, why didn't you let me beat up the kid? He chucked a snowball at my head!" Chad glared at his companion, an elderly man named Oscar._

_Oscar sighed. A silver cloud escaped from his mouth and as they walked by a streetlight. The combination of the cloud and yellow light reminded Chad of the sun peeking out of a cloud after a storm._

_"Yasutora, how many times must I tell you to be more gentle? There was no need to harm the kid."_

_"Gentle? Pah! I'm a big kid. Shouldn't I use that to advantage? It's a dog-eat-dog world, I have to use my strength."_

_"The world is a cruel place, Yasutora. That is a fact. But strength isn't just about size. Showing kindness even in the darkest of times is true strength."_

_Chad rolled his eyes. Something fluttered at the corner of his eye. He turned around and saw a bird struggling to get up._

_Oscar crouched down and gently picked up the bird. "Poor bird, its wing is broken. Yasutora, let's go home quickly and take care of it."_

_Chad studied the bird. Its black eyes were glazed and its body twitched in pain. It was strange to see a bird in the middle of winter. _

"Bakudo #37, Tsuriboshi!"

Chad landed on a giant cushion. The cushion sank under his weight and then bounced him up. Chad blinked and saw Urahara standing in front of Yammy.

"Good afternoon! My name is Urahara Kisuke. I am the humble owner of the Urahara Shop," Urahara said.

Yammy roared angrily and made a fist. Crimson blasts of energy fired from it. Chad watched in horror as the attack shot Urahara. As Urahara fell, Yammy fired more crimson energy at him.

"ASSHOLE! COCK SUCKER! FAGGOT! BITCH! PUNY PIECE OF SHIT!" Yammy shouted.

A deafening explosion rang through Chad's ears each time the attack made contact.

Yammy stopped and breathed hard. A grin formed on his face. Chad, on the other hand, was shocked. Kisuke Urahara, dead? Such an idea seemed impossible. Chad felt a sudden wave of pain. Urahara had just sacrificed his life to save Chad. _Just like Oscar._

_"Oi, are you the kid who keeps beating up my son?" A middle aged man demanded. Other men around his age stood with him._

_"Bitch, I might be," Chad said._

_The man cracked his knuckles. "Do you know what happens to people who hurt my kid?"_

_All of a sudden, Oscar jumped out of nowhere._

_"Please do not harm Yasutora," Oscar pleaded. "He is still young and naive. I know he will leave your child alone."_

_"I don't care if he's ten or twenty or thirty, he broke my son's arm!" The man said. "Whether you like it or not, your grandson needs to be taught a lesson."_

_"Then beat me up instead," Oscar said. "I am the one responsible for him."_

_Chad watched helplessly as the gang of fathers punched and kicked Oscar. Oscar buckled over and coughed out blood when he was kneed in the stomach. One of the fathers made a fist and punched the side of Oscar's head._

_"Abuelo!" Chad cried as Oscar slumped to the ground with a thud. _

_The gang ran off, leaving a crying Chad and dead Oscar._

Chad felt another pang in his heart. Since that day, he swore he would only resort to violence if it meant protecting his loved ones. Now, he had just lost another person in his life all because he was too weak.

"That wasn't very nice of you to insult me like that you know," a familiar voice suddenly said.

Yammy and Chad's eyes widened. Urahara was standing behind Yammy without a single scratch on his body.

"HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!" Yammy turned around. He curled his hand into a fist and fired more energy blasts.

Urahara casually flash stepped behind Yammy and held his zanpakuto up to Yammy's throat.

"I've seen your attack enough," Urahara said calmly. "It will never touch me." All of a sudden, Urahara took out a gray balloon. He blew it and the balloon transformed into an Urahara look-a-like. Urahara hugged the look-a-like. "This is my new invention, a portable gigai," Urahara said gleefully. "I used it as a decoy."

For a moment, Yammy looked baffled. His face quickly contorted with rage. "YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Yammy fired another blast at Urahara. Urahara effortlessly negated the blast with his zanpakuto.

"I told you, that won't work on me," Urahara said. "I analyzed your technique and muscle movement so now, I can dodge and negate it."

Yammy aimed a punch at Urahara. Urahara easily dodged and leaped onto his arm. He ran up it and sliced Yammy's arm off. Yammy bellowed in pain and rage as his arm crashed onto the ground. Curling his lip, Yammy tried to grab Urahara with his remaining hand. Urahara flash stepped away and cut off Yammy's leg. As Yammy fell, Chad flew up and raised his arm.

"El Directo," Chad said. This time, he aimed for Yammy's right eye. Yammy screamed as his poor eye took the hit.

Urahara continued to cut off Yammy's body parts. His fingers, arm, leg, nose…they all came off, causing Yammy to roar with anger. Chad watched as Yammy's body began to fade away.

"Well that was easy," Urahara said.

* * *

Yoruichi flash stepped above Barragan and brought her foot down on him. All of a sudden, Yoruichi felt a heavy weight pushing up against her leg, slowing her movement. Yoruichi flash stepped away.

Barragan cackled. "Master told me about you, Flash Master Shihoin, Yoruichi. I was designed to be able to slow down your movements, _anyone's_ movements." Barragan paused. "And I can also do this."

Barragan flash stepped to Yoruichi's side and placed his boney hand on her left shoulder. Wincing, Yoruichi flash stepped to Jinta's side. Yoruichi clutched her left arm, which had gone limp.

_Just like Ururu's arm,_ Jinta thought.

"By simply touching you, I can break your bones," Barragan said. "None of you have a chance of defeating me. Respira!"

The purple substance that had killed Ururu burst from Barragan. Yoruichi, Jinta, and Tessai leaped out of range.

Yoruichi extended her right arm to her side. "Shunko."

White lightning shot out from her arms, shoulders, and back. The lightning thrashed violently like vines on a windy day.

Yoruichi made a fist and pointed it at Barragan. The lightning crackled loudly as it fired at Barragan.

"Respira!" The purple substance engulfed the lightning. Yoruichi drew back as if shocked by her lightning.

Tessai clapped his hands together. A green shield surrounded Barragan, trapping him and the purple substance.

"I've seen your ability before," Tessai said. "You can age whatever your Respira comes into contact with. As long as we avoid it, we have nothing to fear."

Barragan looked around. "This is Kido right? You must be Tsukabishi Tessai. Well then…" Barragan placed his hand on the barrier. It crumpled under his touch.

"WHAT THE-" Jinta began.

"Impossible," Yoruichi said.

Barragan cackled. "Humans die. Animals die. Plants die. Even Soul Reapers can die. Things that humans create die. The same thing can be said about the Kido you Soul Reapers create! Some Kido may last for thousands of years, but no Kido lasts forever! The word 'forever' was just invented out of fear of old age!"

"That explains why my Shunko was destroyed," Yoruichi said. "Shunko is a mix of Hakuda and Kido."

"You're catching on fast," Barragan said. "I would love to enlighten you ignorant Soul Reapers more, but I'm afraid we don't have time. Now, perish!"

The Respira shot out from Barragan. Tessai clapped his hands together. A glowing green plank formed in between them. The plank slid out of Tessai's hands and multiplied. Jinta watched in awe as the planks extended and formed a gargantuan wall between them and Barragan. The Respira crashed into the wall with a loud boom.

"It's useless," Barragan said. "The wall will rot!"

Tessai clapped his hands together. "Both armies can't withdraw by more than a distance of eight suns. Blue bolt, white bolt, black bolt, and red bolt, all of them will sink to the bottom of the ocean as their atonement. Ryuubi no Joumon!"

More planks appeared and stationed themselves against the wall. A blue plank was placed on the top. Short blue planks jutted out under the blue plank.

"Now it's complete!" Tessai swept his arm and a blue plank spread across the wall.

"Huh, you strengthened the wall," Barragan said. "Clever, but it won't last for too long."

"What do we do now, Tessai?" Jinta asked.

Tessai pressed a finger to his lips. "Shh, don't speak too loudly. We can't let Barragan know our strategy."

In a quieter tone, Jinta asked, "What strategy?"

Tessai nodded at Yoruichi. "I'm going to trap Barragan and then-"

"I understand," Yoruichi said.

"I don't!" Jinta hissed. "Can someone explain what we're doing?"

"You'll know when it happens," Yoruichi said. She placed her hand on the hilt of her zanpakuto.

* * *

_SLASH_! Ulquiorra winced slightly as Grimmjow's claws sliced his wing. Grimmjow raised his arm. Ulquiorra swung Murciélago at Grimmjow, but he quickly grabbed the blade with his claws. Blood trickled out of his hand.

"Not good enough," Grimmjow sneered. "Gran Rey Cero."

Ulquiorra saw blue as the Cero shot from Grimmjow's hand. As the Cero engulfed him, Ulquiorra's skin _burned. _His wings were shredded little by little and his internal organs seemed to be on fire.

Ulquiorra crashed through a glass building. Tiny shards of glass jabbed his skin. Under normal circumstances, Ulquiorra would be unaffected. But some of the shards were stabbing at his wounds. Ulquiorra shakily stood up.

Grimmjow charged at him.

"Cero Oscuras," Ulquiorra said and pointed at Grimmjow. A black Cero with a green outline fired from his finger and blasted Grimmjow.

Grimmjow crashed into a building. Ulquiorra squinted as his wings and arm slowly began to regenerate. He could make out a silhouette of Grimmjow's body through all of the dust. The silhouette suddenly disappeared.

"There's no way your Cero Oscuras could kill me!" Grimmjow exclaimed. Ulquiorra whirled around and was met with a punch. Quickly, Ulquiorra blocked the attack. He flew out of the building. Grimmjow flash stepped behind him. Ulquiorra turned around.

"Cero Oscuras!"

"Gran Rey Cero!"

* * *

BOOM!

Orihime ducked as the two attacks created a deafening explosion. Even with her hands over her ears, the noise banged hard against her ear drum.

The sound faded away.

Orihime slowly looked up. Shuhei stood in front of her with a yellow shield between them and the explosion. The shield shattered.

Shuhei glanced over his shoulder. "Are you OK, Inoue?"

"Y-Yes, arigato Hisagi-san!" Orihime stood up. Her body began shaking uncontrollably. Ulquiorra was so close to center of the explosion. What if he…? Orihime pushed the thought away.

"Oi, where are you going? Inoue?" Shuhei asked.

Orihime ignored Shuhei. Her body seemed to shake more with each step. Out of the corner of her eye, Orihime saw Grimmjow's body disintegrating. Orihime stopped and squeaked.

Ulquiorra lay on the ground, unconscious. His right arm and leg were gone. His body was badly scarred and Orihime knew his internal organs were damaged as well. Ulquiorra's wings were disintegrating.

"N-NO!" Orihime ran to Ulquiorra's side and kneeled down. She moved her hands above his body. "I reject!"

The yellow shield glowed brightly as Orihime tried to heal his wounds. Orihime felt her heart shatter, felt those pieces shatter, as Ulquiorra's wings continued to disintegrate.

"No, you cannot die! I won't let you!" Orihime said fiercely. Orihime shut her eyes and concentrated as hard as she could. No, she concentrated _more_ than she possibly could.

"I reject I reject I reject I reject I reject I reject…" Orihime's voice shook.

_"The name is Ulquiorra Cifer."_

_"There's no need to cry woman, you're safe now."_

_"I do not enjoy violence. I only fight when necessary."_

_"Woman, I will never understand you."_

_"If one is more attractive than the other, then the real one is definitely the winner."_

Salty tears burned Orihime's cheeks like a brand. "Don't die, Ulquiorra! I-I love you! I don't care if you're on the enemy side, I _love_ you!" Heavy sobs heaved her chest.

Orihime opened her eyes and gasped. The guy laying in front of her did not look like Ulquiorra. This man did not have a bone on his head or pale skin or green tear marks. This man looked _human._

Then, he opened his eyes. His eyes, oh his eyes were so brilliantly green like a shiny emerald.

"Ul…quiorra?"

Ulquiorra raised his hand and cradled the back of Orihime's head, sending sparks down her spine. He smiled. Ulquiorra _smiled. _"Orihime," he said and pushed her head down.

As they kissed, Orihime realized that Ulquiorra had just addressed her by her first name for the first time.

**Review please! This is my first fanfic and I would like to know how to improve it. Thank you! xoxo**


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